Aleppo, a major Syrian city, has been divided by the ongoing strife in the country. Daily life is defined exclusively by war between government and rebel forces, but it's gone unnoticed by many Americans. That's included at least one Presidential candidate.
Bana Alabed, a seven-year-old Aleppo resident, wants to change that. Her Twitter account, run jointly with her mother, a teacher, offers a window into life in a city divided by war. (Sometimes one will sign a tweet, sometimes the other.)
And it's working. Though she joined Twitter only last month, she's already accrued over 10,000 followers.
Her tweets alternate between horror at bombing and the hope offered by another day of survival. Here's a video posted Monday night of the sound of bombs falling.
sleeping as you can hear the bombs fall, I will tweet tomorrow if we are alive". - Fatemah #Aleppo pic.twitter.com/HfFvig9cct
— Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) October 3, 2016
Here she is holding her brother, Mohamed, as bombs fall.
My brother Mohamed is crying now. bombs fall, I better die to let him die. - Bana #Aleppo pic.twitter.com/RRX64FZXds
— Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) October 3, 2016
Her mother tells the BBC that, although she assists with the account, that her daughter wants her voice to be heard.
"She saw everything here," Fatemah said. "She saw her friend killed, and our house bombed. She saw her school bombed. So that affected her."
Here's a final video, in which she covers her ears and writes, "I am very afraid I will die tonight. This bombs will kill me now."
I am very afraid I will die tonight. This bombs will kill me now. - Bana #Aleppo pic.twitter.com/KqVHwqRClK
— Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) October 2, 2016
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