10 Twitter accounts to follow to understand what's happening in Syria

Ever since the internal conflict began in Syria, the United Nations believes that over 1,00,000 people have lost their lives and it has been one of the unsafest places for journalists to work. [caption id=“attachment_1087709” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of a Syrian rebel. AFP image[/caption] According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 50 journalists have died in Syria since the beginning of 2011, which is more than any other country in the same time period. Despite the obvious threats, there are journalists working in Syria and here are ten authoritative sources on the Syrian conflict you can follow on Twitter. Some of these are journalists from international publications working in Syria, others are Syrian journalists and reporters, while others are from NGOs and international organisations such as the United Nations. 1. Sam Dagher, Wall Street Journal Dagher is reporting on-the-ground from Damascus. Dagher is a Middle East correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, covering Syria and Lebanon. The Lebanese-American journalist was formerly based in Beirut. His tweets range from power outages in Damascus, to his revealing conversations with the Syrian foreign minister. His experience also allows him to make connections between the Syrian war and other Middle East conflicts. Sample tweet: https://twitter.com/samdagher/statuses/375207255077322752 2. CJ Chivers, New York Times Chivers is a Senior Editor in the New York Times and covers conflict zones. He also wrote The Gun, a history book about automatic weapons and their effect on warfare. Chivers blogs on the NYT website on the ‘At War’ page, and his last one is over a month old about Syrian rebels. But on his Twitter account, Chivers curates reports which dash misconceptions as well as retweets commentators who talk about the pros and cons  (as well as likelihood) of a US intervention in Syria. Sample tweet: https://twitter.com/cjchivers/statuses/372477794422251520 3. NMSyria, activist NMSyria is an activist based in Damascus. He’s an essential on your follow list because on the depth of his coverage on Twitter. The information ranges from interviews with rebels on US intervention, hilarious memes about Syria and links to the live feeds of shellings in Damascus. Sample tweet: https://twitter.com/NMSyria/statuses/375346542208495616 4. RazanZ, human rights activist Razan Zaitouneh is a human rights activist based in Syria, who works for the Violations Documentation Centre in Damascus. She has been actively involved in the Syrian uprising over the past few years, and has gone into hiding after being accused of being a foreign agent by the Assad regime. While her tweets are not always in English, when they are they link to everything from the desperate attempts to track family members in mass graves, to the detailed reports on chemical weapons drawn up by by the Violations Documentation Centre. Sample tweet: https://twitter.com/VDC_Syria/status/374171497621114880 5. Malath Aumran, anonymous Twitter account This account has been hailed by the United Nations as one of the “best sources of information on Syria on Twitter”. The account reportedly uses a network of contacts to relay quick information about events in the country. From the Twitter account, it appears to be run by an ex-soldier. When he’s not ripping apart Western media (“Seriously, is it possible to find a dumber title, @nytimes “Rights Group Says It Finds Proof of Torture in #Syria”), the Twitter account offers perspective as well as in-depth information. Sample tweet: https://twitter.com/MalathAumran/statuses/345214540637687809 6. BSyria, a Damascus resident BSyria doesn’t offer much past being a ‘Syrian’ as a descriptor, but his Twitter feed has been enough to catapult him to many ‘must-follow’ lists. He offers the kind of perspective and reasoning on the actions of the Syrian regime to his 10,000-plus followers which is often missing in mainstream media coverage. He also tweets very often, so be ready to be bombarded with information. Sample tweet: https://twitter.com/BSyria/statuses/372612801254412288 7. Mohammad Al Abdullah, Syrian political activist A former political prisoner in Syria, Abdullah is currently based in Washington (he became a refugee in 2009) where he is continuing his years of work as a political activist and human rights campaigner. According to the UNDispatch: “Abdullah is an important resources for disseminating reports coming out of the country, both from mainstream media outlets and citizen journalists.” Sample tweet: https://twitter.com/Mohammad_Syria/statuses/370223243568762881 8. Frederik Pleitgen, CNN Pleitgen is a German journalist currently based in Syria. You can check out a video of him reporting from Damascus here. His tweets offer information on media functioning (and safety threats) to journalists in Syria, as well as answer basic questions like ‘How does sarin gas work.’ He retweets everyone from CNN to Syrian activists. Sample tweet: https://twitter.com/fpleitgenCNN/statuses/373894321562329088 9. OCHA Syria, humanitarian coordinators A United Nation office that is working in Syria to coordinate humanitarian efforts against staggering odds. They work with everyone from UNICEF to the Danish Refugee Council in an attempt to bring together the different efforts to provide food, funding and relief to Syrians. Sample tweet: https://twitter.com/OCHA_Syria/statuses/375160281363521536 10. SANA English, Syrian news agency The Syrian Arab News Agency is the national office news agency of Syria, and was established in 1965. The SANA agency seems to take the state line more often than not, and won’t offer the reader any revelations, but does give an insight into the news and information being meted out to Syrians and is the official mouth-piece of the Assad regime. Sample tweet: https://twitter.com/SANA_English/statuses/375361791745744896