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Enough fighting, church demands an end to chaos, bloodshed, and death.

Launched on Wednesday, October 9, the Turkish operation is targeting a part of Syria that was relatively secure and stable during eight years of civil war. Overnight it has become a battlefield.

As Turkey pursues its military operation in north-east Syria, the Church is gravely concerned about the humanitarian impact on the people of the region. It is reported that tens of thousands of civilians are fleeing from the first waves of the Turkish attack and that hundreds of thousands of people are now directly in harm’s way. As war erupts again in Syria, we ask all to pray for peace. It is time for peace, for respite, for dialogue, and for justice for the victims of atrocities perpetrated through these catastrophic years of violence. The church demands an end to the war and end to the suffering of the people. Enough fighting, chaos, and death.

The Syrian people have already been subjected to too much conflict, and far too much bloodshed, destruction, and displacement. It is expected that as many as 2 million people will suffer as a result of the military operation’s impact on infrastructure, facilities, and services for basic life needs. The people, Christians and Muslims are fleeing the new war zone to places of safety.

Al-Jazeerah area has substantial Christian communities, who are often seen as a peacekeeping buffer between the Arabs and Kurds. Already one Christian home in a Christian neighborhood in the city of Qamishli has been shelled. Two Christians have been killed by shelling in Qamishli and others wounded. They are in desperate need of humanitarian aid, leaving homes and possessions behind. Many suffered grievously during the years of war and have already been displaced multiple times as they fled the fight in other parts of Syria towards the north-east, which had remained relatively secure and stable. But now even this refuge is being turned into a battlefield by the Turkish operation.

The church has been and still praying throughout the years of the Syrian conflict that the Lord promote and facilitate dialogue and mutual solidarity between representatives of disparate sectors of Syrian society, and to promote peace, justice and equal rights for all Syrians.