Madaya, Syria

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Madaya
مضايا
Town
Madaya is located in Syria
Madaya
Madaya
Location in Syria
Coordinates: 33°41′16″N 36°06′3″E / 33.68778°N 36.10083°E / 33.68778; 36.10083
Country  Syria
Governorate Rif Dimashq Governorate
District Al-Zabadani District
Nahiyah Madaya
Elevation 1,344 m (4,409 ft)
Population (2004 census)[1]
 • Total 9,371

Madaya (Arabic: مضايا‎‎) is a small mountainous town in Syria, located at an altitude of around 1,300 metres (4,300 ft).[2] It is a well known holiday resort.[3] It is located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Damascus in the Rif Dimashq Governorate and is home to Lake Barada. Madaya often is snow-top during the winter months especially on January and February. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Madaya had a population of 9,371 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.[4]

History[edit]

Syrian civil war[edit]

Main article: Syrian Civil War

Since July 2015, the town has been besieged by a combination of Syrian forces loyal to the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the allied Lebanese militia Hezbollah.[5] In December 2015, Doctors Without Borders reported that 23 people had died of starvation[6] after a total blockade prevented any food or humanitarian aid to enter since 18 October.[6] United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed alarm at the situation in Madaya[7] as well as in other besieged areas in Syria, and warned that the use of starvation as weapon during conflict is a war crime.

On 7 January 2016, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued a statement[8] calling for unimpeded access to deliver emergency assistance to Madaya, Al-Fu'ah and Kafriya. Amid calls from United Nations officials[9] and dozens of humanitarian organizations[10] to intervene, the United Nations negotiated a deal between the Syrian government and rebels holding the town to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid, which was carried out on 11 January 2016.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. (Arabic)
  2. ^ "Madaya, Syria Page". Retrieved 2007-09-15. 
  3. ^ Northern Syria. Retrieved 2007-09-15. 
  4. ^ Smith, 1841, p. 146.
  5. ^ Khushbu Shah, Nick Paton Walsh and Peter Wilkinson, CNN (7 January 2016). "Madaya: Syria allows aid into besieged city - CNN.com". CNN. 
  6. ^ a b "Siege and starvation in Madaya; immediate medical evacuations and medical resupply essential to save lives". Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International. Retrieved 2016-01-14. 
  7. ^ Rivett-Carnac, Mark. "U.N. Chief Warns Syria Starvation Is a War Crime". TIME.com. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
  8. ^ Section, United Nations News Service (2016-01-07). "UN News - UN calls for humanitarian access to besieged areas in Syria, welcomes new approvals from Government". UN News Service Section. Retrieved 2016-01-14. 
  9. ^ "Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Kyung-Wha Kang Security Council Briefing on Syria, New York, 15 January 2016". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
  10. ^ "Joint statement: An appeal to end the suffering in Syria [EN/AR/FR/SP/RU/CH]". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
  11. ^ Kareem Shaheen (11 January 2016). "Trucks from aid convoy enter besieged Syrian town of Madaya". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2016. 

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

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