Syrian refugees recount trauma of living under siege

[Anthea]

NRT

Syrian refugees recount trauma of living under siege

BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon – Syrian refugees who fled from the besieged eastern city of Deir al-Zor say they had to resort to eating grass to keep alive.

Hassan and Razan fled from the Syrian city with their four children. It took them two months to reach the safety of Lebanon and they are now sheltering in a tented settlement in the Bekaa Valley.

Their ten-year-old son, Rami, said he had traumatic memories from his life in Deir al-Zor.

"There was shelling and there were people dying and the planes were dropping bombs," he said.

Deir al-Zor is the main town in a province of the same name. The province links Islamic State's (IS) de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa with territory controlled by the militant group in neighboring Iraq.

The group, in control of most of Deir al-Zor province, has laid siege since last March to remaining government-held areas in the city of Deir al-Zor.

Residents were faced with severe food shortages and those sheltering in Lebanon said they had to eat whatever they could find.

"They weren't letting food or anything in. My children were only eating grass but my husband and I weren't eating anything because we lost our appetite. If there was bread available, we'd eat it," said Razan.

Fourteen-year-old Mariam fled northern Homs in 2014 with her family.

Now in Lebanon with her 16-year-old brother and two younger siblings, she said food in Syria was hard to come by.

"We stayed under siege for about a year. It was difficult for us to find food – sometimes we would find it and sometimes we wouldn't," said the 14-year-old.

According to children's charity Save the Children, barrel bombs, air strikes and shelling are the biggest issues for children living in besieged areas inside Syria.

A report issued by the charity says parents have described not only dealing with the psychological impact on children terrified of explosions, but the dire consequences of being deprived of food, basic medicine and clean water.

http://www.nrttv.com/EN/Details.aspx?Jimare=5755