Syria in Danger of Replicating Christian Exodus in Iraq, say The Christian Post

The World Evangelical Alliance's human rights ambassador has warned that Christians are being "chased from their homes" in Syria.

Dr Thomas Schirrmacher warned of a mass exodus of Christians from Syria similar to that experienced in Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion.

A decade ago, there were an estimated 1.5 million Christians in Iraq. Since then, around half the Christian population has left the country due to hardship and persecution. Today, there are reportedly fewer than 60 churches left in the country.Read more<

Deadly bombings hit Iraq on 10th anniversary of U.S. invasion, reports Foreign Policy

50 people are estimated to have been killed and over 150 injured in a dozen bombings throughout Baghdad on the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. At least 10 car bombs were set off in a coordinated campaign which targeted busy areas in predominantly Shiite neighborhoods including a market, bus stops, and the Green Zone, which houses government offices and foreign embassies. Additionally, a suicide bomber attacked a police base in a Shiite town south of Baghdad and three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were set off in the northern region of Kirkuk. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State of Iraq, the Iraqi wing of al Qaeda, has carried out similar bombings before and has vowed to increase attacks on Shiite targets in attempts to undermine the government of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Violence peaked in Iraq between 2006 and 2007, but sectarian tensions and the political crisis have worsened since U.S. troops departed in December 2011. In addition to continued violence, economic conditions are deteriorating and an influx of Syrian refugees into the country has only increased concerns.Read more<

Death toll approaching 70,000 in Syrian crisis, UN says

Top United Nations officials today highlighted the need for the Security Council to act with a unified voice to protect innocent lives, noting that civilians, in Syria and elsewhere, remain subject to unacceptable threats to life and dignity in conflict zones.Read more<

'They should know about our suffering': The Guardian's first-hand account on life in a Syrian refugee camp

As the Syrian conflict intensifies, thousands of people are fleeing every day for neighbouring Jordan. The Za'atari border camp is now home to almost 90,000 people, a small city of tents, queues and bulldozers scraping up new land for new arrivals. When it rains, the camp becomes a hellish quagmire; when it doesn't, it turns back into dusty, unforgiving desert. But slowly, refugees are adapting to daily life. Here one 18-year-old woman, Raneen, describes daily life in the world's newest refugee clusterRead more<

Humanitarian crisis in Syria needs robust funding, InterAction says

WASHINGTON (Jan. 29, 2013) – Greater international commitment is needed to respond to the mounting humanitarian crisis in Syria, where a fifth of the population require assistance but access to those in need is severely limited, said the NGO alliance InterAction.Read more<

ICMC hosts meeting of Assistant Secretary Anne Richard With Syrian Refugees

(Geneva) 29 January 2013 – ICMC yesterday welcomed a delegation led by Assistant Secretary Anne Richard of the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM), who had come to meet with Syrian refugees as thousands are crossing into Jordan to escape ongoing violence in their home country.Read more<