Daraya was one of the first towns in Syria to hold protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.
Before barrel bombs and air strikes hit the Damascus suburb of Daraya, it was well known for its cultivation of luscious grapes that for many Syrians had long been associated with the name of the town.
Today, residents, who have been in a five-year civil war siege in what used to be a thriving town, have been reduced to eating grass in order to survive, according to the United Nations (UN).
Daraya was one of the first towns in Syria to hold peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011. The town fought off government forces' repeated attempts to retake it, which resulted in civil war.
In 2012, Daraya witnessed a horrific massacre when hundreds of people were killed by government troops. However, the devastating incident did not stop the Syrian army from continuing to use incendiary barrel bombs.
Under the government siege, the people of the town had no access to basic necessities like electricity, running water and medical supplies. Attempts by the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to provide aid to Daraya were blocked by government forces. When authorities did agree, in June 2016, to allow food supplies into Daraya under a cessation of hostilities deal, only one shipment managed to reach the town.
"In spite of the starvation and the violence, the people of Daraya still took to the streets, demanding that the siege is lifted," said Liala kiki, media head for The Syria Campaign, a global advocacy group with the mission to mobilise people around the world to advocate to save lives and accelerate progress towards a peaceful and democratic future for Syria.
Credit: Reuters
The Syria Campaign has documented the harsh realities that the community of Daraya has had to live through. Laila told dna that barrel bombs were not the only daily occurrence, napalm (flammable liquid used in warfare) was also used.
On August 25, government forces and rebel fighters agreed on a deal to evacuate Daraya, after an air strike hit its last remaining hospital. "The deal is about people leaving their homes," said Laila which she says is "a failure for the international community to commit to the international laws and to the protection of civilians".
Credit: Reuters
Now, for a town that was bonded together by war, the evacuation means not just leaving behind their home, but also each other. "They have gone through all those amazing tactics to survive together and their strength was with their solidarity and unity," said Laila. "The civilians we spoke to expressed sadness and sorrow to leave each other."
Pictures on social media showed the evacuation was underway:
As the buses packed with evacuees rolled out of Daraya, many were taken to Herjalleh, a town that holds a government housing project for displaced people. Others will be transferred to Idlib.
In the end, the people of that Damascus suburb have the same shared dream like the rest of Syria has for the future. Laila said, "The hope for the people of Daraya and all Syrians is to go back to their towns and be part of rebuilding Syria."
Credit: Reuters
Credit: Reuters
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