News from the week of May 2, 2016

Here is another round-up of what we’ve been reading and watching this week, from in the news and around the web:

An airstrike yesterday hit a crowded refugee camp in Syria close to the Turkish border, killing at least 28 people. The attack took place shortly after insurgents launched an offensive against government forces in neighboring Aleppo, just hours into what was supposed to be a new, 48-hour truce. Videos show at least a dozen tents burning while men with firehoses tried to put out the blazes.

In other alarming news this week, more than 53,000 migrants and refugees are currently stranded in Greece, as E.U. countries have closed their borders, particularly along the commonly used Balkan route. The closure of the route has left refugees stranded in increasingly terrible conditions without adequate food and water supply, and many are forced to sleep outside in frequent rain and low temperatures.

The Syrian refugee crisis has also created thousands of stateless children who have no recognized nationality or place to call home. In this short video clip, children born in Lebanon to Syrian refugees are considered neither Syrian or Lebanese, which deprives them of basic rights and makes them vulnerable to a multitude of human rights violations. This photo essay illustrates just how problematic this can be to refugees without a country.

On Thursday the State Department released its official resettlement numbers for April. It resettled 451 Syrian refugees last month, bringing the total number of Syrians admitted into the United States this year to 1,736. While this is a slight improvement in the pace of resettlement of vulnerable Syrian families, the government is still far behind schedule to achieve its 10,000 goal.

There’s also this: Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy received the 2016 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his public support of resettling Syrian refugees in the United States, stating “America has to be that shining place, that special place, that will never ever fail to lead, as it must.”

And a 12-year-old Syrian refugee, Hanan Dacka, proudly carried the Olympic torch in Brazil, kicking off a relay across the host country ahead of the Olympic games in August.

Finally, the Atlantic Council released its latest piece in its  #5YearsWeFled series, taking us inside the difficult journey Syrian refugees are forced to undertake, from their decision to flee the war to their appeal for asylum in Europe. Have reactions to share, or want to learn how you can be involved in our efforts to raise veteran voices in support of refugees? Find us on Facebook or Twitter, or contact us at [email protected].