Syria is a country located in the Middle East that has been in a civil war for over a decade. Under the influence of the Arab Spring in the early 2010s and the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad, the nation has crumbled into multiple factions fighting for control, and with 500,000 dead since 2011 – How did this start?

According to a BBC article, fighting in Syria started when pro-democracy demonstrations erupted in the southern city of Deraa, which were forcefully stopped by the Syrian government. When Syrians around the country found out that their leader forcefully ended pro-democracy demonstrations, nationwide protests sprung up demanding the end of Assad’s leadership; when Government forces cracked down on the protests, opposition supporters took arms.

Amidst the chaos many nations have taken a stance to either support or denounce al-Assad. Over a million migrants have fled the country in hopes to take asylum in the European Union. This migration has created a few conflicts in Europe since some nations like Poland have refused to accept anymore refugees from Syria.  The future of both the country and its citizens is certainly still an uncertainty.