Starving Syrians trapped in besieged town of Madaya

Food as a weapon of war

Image | Madaya Infact

Caption: Malnourished children are trapped in Madaya, Syria

Audio | The Current : Food as weapon of war: Starving Syrians trapped in besieged town of Madaya

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Food As a Weapon of War
Inside Syria today, there is no shortage of tragedy. But the town of Madaya does stand out. It's under siege and its people are starving.
Madaya is home to about 40,000 people and it's just 24 kms from the Syrian capital, Damascus. Madaya has been blockaded for months ... both by Syrian forces loyal to the Assad regime, and by Hezbollah members.
Rami Jarrah(external link) is the Project Manager for ANA PRESS, an independent network of journalists in Syria. He's also the recipient of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression's 2012 International Press Freedom Award. We reached him in Southern Turkey.
If and when aid does start getting in to Madaya, the World Food Programme will be one of the groups doing the heavy lifting. Abeer Etefa is with the World Food Programme(external link) in Cairo, Egypt. We asked her what she hopes will happen now, and what needs to happen next.

Image | Lyse Doucet/BBC - Yarmouk

Caption: Kiffah tells BBC's Lyse Doucet: "There is no bread" (BBC News Report)

In 2014, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet(external link) saw first-hand the starvation taking place in another part of Syria - in the Yarmouk refugee camp.

Image | SYRIA-CRISIS/ Yarmouk refugee camp

Caption: Residents queue up to receive humanitarian aid at the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, in Damascus March 11, 2015. (Reuters)

Madaya joins a list of other parts of Syria that have been subject to blockades that have prevented food, water, and the most basic necessities of life... and we don't hear about them.
Lyse Doucet joined Connie Walker from London, England.

Image | Lyse Doucet Syria Quoteboard

This segment was produced by The Current's Pacinthe Mattar and Gord Westmacott.