Tomeh Urges Immediate Action as 10 Syrians Die in the Snowstorm

Interim Prime Minister Ahmed Tomeh urges the international community to take immediate action to help the Syrian refugee cope with the snowstorm sweeping the region and that has killed 10 refugees. He spoke at a news conference that was also attended by Suheir al-Atassi, head of Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU). “At the directions of the President of the Syrian Coalition Khaled Khoja, we have taken emergency measures to respond to the humanitarian disaster resulting from the snowstorm that is hitting Syria and the region as well as sent appeals to international organizations to provide immediate relief aid to the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, especially in the town of Arsal,” Tomeh said. “Just as they have faced Assad’s criminality, Syrians now, bare-chested, are facing bitter cold and hunger in their ramshackled tents,” he added. “The souls of those little children who froze to death in the refugee camps appeal to your conscience to intervene, and today there should be no room for inventing excuses.” Atassi stresses that they submitted a comprehensive plan to many countries two months earlier demanding that these countries take urgent action to prepare for the cold wave and frost likely to hit the refugees, pointing out that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey have already begun providing aid to Syrian refugees to help them cope with the snowstorm. “We are still waiting for the rest of the friendly countries to follow suit and intervene,” Atassi said. At the conclusion of the news conference, Tomeh and Atassi thanked all the countries that had provided support for the Syrian refugees, especially in Jordan and Lebanon. It is worth noting that the Syrian Coalition has held an emergency meeting that lasted until dawn to discuss necessary steps needed to address the humanitarian disaster taking place in the refugee camps following the bitter cold and heavy snow that has hit the region. (Source: Syrian Coalition)