The SDF accepts a ceasefire, leaves the city after days of fierce fighting with scores dead, more than a hundred wounded, and 140,000 displaced. Father Karakach asks for prayers, solidarity, and support so that "the voice of Aleppo will not be forgotten." Marist Blues “are traumatised and distressed".

Aleppo (AsiaNews) – “We ask for your prayers, solidarity, and support, so that the voice of Aleppo will not be forgotten,” writes Fr Bahjat Karakach, parish priest of the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Aleppo, in a note sent to AsiaNews.

In it, the clergyman does not hide his great fears and concerns over the recent escalation of violence that has hit Syria’s northern metropolis, where “the situation remains fragile and uncertain" despite the "withdrawal of the Kurdish SDF”[*] as part of a ceasefire signed with the government, ending “military operations at 9 am on 10 January.”

"Since 6 January, the city of Aleppo has seen violent clashes in several northern neighbourhoods" between government and Kurdish forces (and their foreign allies), with fighting affecting particularly the Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zaid neighbourhoods.

The clergyman reports that, “This has led to the displacement of thousands of families and the partial interruption of essential services, and has fuelled a climate of fear and uncertainty among civilians, especially the elderly and children."

Amid the great suffering, the Church has sought "to be present wherever there is pain,” notes Fr Karakach. “The Terra Santa monastery in Aleppo has opened its doors to displaced families of all religions and backgrounds, offering food, shelter, and basic necessities." This urgent humanitarian assistance has been provided “without any discrimination”.

The parish priest notes that the people of Aleppo are "exhausted" by "wars, bloodbaths, repeated traumas, and endless crises.” After long years of suffering, it is "time to live in peace," providing children with “the right to hope for a safe and secure future.”

For this reason, “I shout even more forcefully: hope is wounded, but still lives on,” he says. “We ask the Lord to grant peace to this land, comfort those who suffer, and instil courage in all to choose love over terror.”

Yesterday, all SDF fighters left the city after a truce was worked out with the Syrian government, brokered by the United States among others. This put to an end days of brutal clashes that, according to a partial toll, left 24 people dead, 129 wounded, and over 140,000 displaced.

The recent wave of violence is a further sign of instability in the Arab country, more than a year after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad and the rise to power of Ahmed al-Sharaa and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

After months of negotiations to integrate the Kurds into the Syrian army, little has been achieved.

Father Georges Sabe of the Blue Marists recently wrote a “special letter from Aleppo," describing the "hell of war" in the very neighbourhood (Sheikh Maqsoud, renamed Jabal ed-Saydeh, Notre Dame Hill) where the Blue Marists were founded.

The area had already been devastated by the Syrian civil war, but after a period of relative calm, “the situation deteriorated again between Kurdish forces and the government army" with “moments of tension.”

On 6 January, the fighting reached its peak with "horrific scenes" and people "wandering the streets, not knowing where to go, while shelling continued day and night.”

"Schools and universities, in the midst of midterm exam season, are closed indefinitely. Life is paralysed. A veritable curfew envelops the city in silence and fear... A dark night has invaded the hearts of residents,” writes the clergyman.

“It is all horrific, as if 14 years of war, sanctions, and earthquakes were not enough, as if this city were cursed, as if the streets of Aleppo were bloodthirsty, . . . as if the horror multiplied endlessly,” Fr Sabe notes.

“Why must Aleppo and its people suffer such a fate?” he asks. “Until when? When will the horizon of peace become a reality?”

“We no longer have the strength to resist, nor the resilience,” he adds. “Enough! We’ve had enough. Our nerves can no longer take it. We are traumatised and full of anguish.”

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[*] Syrian Democratic Forces.

• syria
• aleppo
• civil war
• fighting
• syrian defence forces
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• kurds
• bahjat karakach
• blue marists
• fr georges sabe