Dear members, friends and supporters of the ISHR,

Please share with us the concerns of the Blue Marists in Aleppo. Marist Brother Georges Sabé sent us the following: Special letter from Aleppo:

“I am writing this letter from the hell of the war that has been raging in Aleppo for four days.”

There are two districts here under Kurdish control: Achrafieh and Sheikh Maksoud. Hundreds of thousands of people of all ethnicities and religions live in these two districts. The Christians of Aleppo call the Sheikh Maksoud district Jabal el Saydeh (the Hill of Our Lady). A very needy Christian community lives there. And the Blue Marists originated from this district.

These two districts suffered enormously during the war. Since December 2024, the situation between Kurdish forces and the government army has deteriorated, with periods of calm followed by tensions.

The founders and former leaders of the “Blue Marists” (from left): Leyla Moussalli, her husband Dr. Nabil Antaki, who visited the ISHR for the 2025 annual meeting, and Marist Brother Georges Sabé. © “Blue Marists”

On March 10, 2025, an agreement was signed in Damascus between the Syrian government and the leaders of the Kurdish Autonomous Region. Apart from the situation in the two districts of Aleppo, this agreement envisioned a process for normalising relations between the two parties in the northeastern region of Syria, which is also controlled by Kurdish forces. The agreement included a plan to be implemented by December 31, 2025. Unfortunately, the agreement was not implemented. For several weeks, fighting had been taking place in Aleppo, but ceasefires repeatedly halted this. However, since Monday, January 5, 2026, and up to the time of writing this letter, the fighting has intensified, resulting, above all, in a massive displacement of the population from the two districts. Horrific scenes of people wandering about, not knowing where to go: children, teenagers, women, and men are constantly fleeing the two districts. The shelling continues unabated, day and night. The city districts bordering the combat zones have been badly affected.

The schools and universities, in the middle of exam season, are closed indefinitely. Life has ground to a halt. A veritable curfew shrouds the city in silence and fear … A dark night descends upon the hearts of its inhabitants. It is a horror, as if 14 years of war, sanctions, and earthquakes weren’t enough. As if this city were cursed. As if the streets of Aleppo were thirsting for blood… As if the horror were endlessly multiplying. Why must Aleppo and its people suffer such a fate? Until when? When will the horizon of peace become a reality? We no longer have the strength for resistance or resilience. We are afraid, and we ask ourselves: Until when?

I am sharing with you some words from a young Marist doctor who is sharing his feelings with me from the university hospital where he is working as an intern:

“In the heart of Aleppo University Hospital … frightened faces … An anxious staff wondering if the road home is passable … Exhausted patients, without medicine and without money … An exodus and uprooting that line the road to arrival, an icy cold that compresses what remains of the beats of a weary heart … And we continue to say: There is hope …”

5:26 PM, Thursday, January 8, 2026
Brother Georges SABE, Marist

Brother Georges Sabé informed us on January 9, 2026, that the Kurdish forces had withdrawn from Aleppo and the situation had eased somewhat. However, the renewed destruction after a brief period of recovery has traumatized many people, especially since they do not truly believe in a lasting peace under the new government. The Marists will remain, and their help is urgently needed right now, particularly to support and encourage children, young people, and families. Please help ensure that this worthy cause can continue its work. Reference for your donation: Marists (91)