Syria (MNN) — Fighting slows in Syria as President Bashir al-Assad tries to curry favor abroad by appealing to religious minorities.
“The regime has run out of funds,” Samuel* of Redemptive Stories says. A staunch ally, “Russia, [is] occupied elsewhere, which has led them to” decrease efforts in Syria.
A mother washes her child in a makeshift settlement in Idlib, Syria.
(Photo courtesy of Ahmed Akacha/Pexels)
The Arab League raised global concerns in May by welcoming Syria back into the fold, but potential investors remain wary of U.S. sanctions.
Meanwhile, the Syrian currency dropped to a historic low last week, trading at 9,500 pounds to the U.S. dollar on Saturday. “The economic situation still is in shambles, and it continues to get worse and worse,” Samuel says.
Local churches are doing the best they can to help people in the name of Jesus. But even Syrian Christians who still have a paid job are falling into poverty.
“The average salary amounts to about $17 a month because everything’s paid in the local currency due to inflation,” Samuel says.
According to the United Nations, over 15 million people need help to survive another day. “Ninety percent of people living in Syria right now would be starving if they did not have financial aid of some sort,” Samuel says.
“The whole country is subsisting [on] relatives and friends around the world sending back cash.”
It’s easy to lose interest in Syria after 13 years of war but remember – every statistic has a name and a face. “These are real stories of real people, of young people saying, ‘Our only hope is to get out of the country,’” Samuel says.
Another man Samuel and his team met was “90 years old, living all by himself on the top floor, almost imprisoned in his own house because all of his family had to leave the country. He lost a son in the war.”
Will you pray for Syria today?
“Pray the (Syrian) government will back down and make some compromises. Pray that God would intervene in the hearts of [global] leaders to change the situation,” Samuel requests.
*Pseudonym
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