A Dutch Jesuit in the besieged Syrian city of Homs said those who remain are facing shortages of food and fuel. “Disease has captured some of us and is knocking on the door of others,” Frans van der Lugt, S.J., wrote in a letter released by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need on Sept. 26. “No food has entered our besieged region for more than 15 months,” he said. “We are surviving on what little food remains in our homes.” Father van der Lugt said that during the winter, residents would “suffer from hunger, cold, lack of electricity and water…. How can we heat a room and, if we find food, how will we manage to cook it?” he asked. Government forces have recaptured much of Homs, but about 3,000 people are estimated to remain in the besieged, rebel-controlled neighborhoods.

This article appears in October 14 2013.