Omran Daqneesh yet reminds us again of the horrors of war and why the war has to stop NOW

The image of five-year-old Omran Daqneesh has encapsulated the wretchedness and horror of the Syrian war
Omran, a Syrian boy covered in dust and blood, sits in an ambulance after being rescued(Via Getty Images)


Omran Daqneesh, a Syrian child covered in dust and blood speaks volume of the sad and tragic world in which we live in. You probably might have seen Omran’s image or video which has been circulating on social media. His stunned face is a stark symbol of his country and the devastation and suffering which they have to endure. The poor boy was so shocked that he couldn’t even shed his tears. He was not crying at any point during the rescue. Let’s not forget, he is a five year old boy. He is supposed to be out in the sunshine and playing with his friends. However the greediness and lust for power have overshadowed everything and what remains is the dark horrific world. 

 It was a soul-wrenching moment when he raises his left hand and wipes the blood off his face completely shell-shocked. 

Once again the world leaders have failed to bring peace and order against the ghastliest war in modern history. The conflict seems to remain the same. There appears to be no solution at all. The cry and outpouring by the people all over the world seem to have no impact whatsoever. Last year, the image of the drowned toddler washed ashore on the Turkish beach whose name was Alyan Kurdi created huge outcry all over the world. However despite the outpouring and lamentation nothing seems to have changed so far. 

Despite huge outcry and lamentation nothing seems to have changed

Mustafa al-Sarout, who filmed the video that went viral, told the Guardian. “He put his hand on his face and saw blood. He didn’t know even what happened to him." Sarout went on: "These are children bombed every day. It’s not an exceptional case. This is a daily fact of Russian and Syrian government airstrikes. They take turns bombing civilians in Aleppo before the whole world. This child is a representative of millions of children in Syria and its cities."
"The truth is that the image you see today is repeated every day in Aleppo," said Mustafa al Sarouq, a cameraman with the Aleppo Media Center, who filmed the video. He spoke to CNN's Nima Elbagir via Skype.
"Every day we cover these massacres and these war crimes in Aleppo. When we go to the places that have been bombed, regime planes circle around and bomb it again to kill rescue workers that are helping civilians. They kill these people who are trying to rescue people."
UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura estimated in April that at least 400,000 people had been killed in Syria in a five-year-long war that has uprooted nearly half of the country's population. 

The good news is, Omran has been rescued, but the fear and trauma will remain in him for many years. 

 At the end of the day, the question remains the same. Is the bloodied Syrian boy Omran just another image like that of Alyan Kurdi or will it be a hashtag or symbol to end the war? The iconic image has sparked international compassion and the world has been shocked but it can turn into a yearly tradition. Syria's tragedy has become sort of a yearly tradition, where people have become terrifyingly accustomed to it. For a child like Omran, all he has known in his life is war.

 Omran's shell-shocked image image is also a stark reminder in which he has no voice. He just stared at the camera and the people around him. Its like as if he already knows that silence is the only appropriate response to what has just happened.






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