A man carries a young girl through the rubble of a demolished Syrian city. Photo courtesy of Al Jareeza.
Summary: A ceasefire in Syria was announced on Monday, but will it work?
On Monday, a ceasefire began in Syria at sunset, marking what CNN said could be a move that would “halt the carnage in the war-torn country.” The ceasefire would give humanitarian groups an opportunity to provide food and aid to hundreds of thousands of Syrian citizens in besieged cities such as Aleppo.
The deal would stop Syrian airman from attacking their opposition for at least 48 hours, according to US Secretary of State John Kerry. The ceasefire was brokered by the United States and Russia. If the ceasefire lasts for a week, the two countries want to begin military options to fight ISIS and Jabhat fateh Al-Sham. During the ceasefire, Syria is allowed to still fight these two groups, who are not covered by the agreement.
CNN reports that hours before the ceasefire was to begin, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave a “defiant message to the country’s opposition forces” that seemed to promise his regime would win the country’s civil war. Assad’s family has governed the country for 45 years, and he has often referred to the group against his ruling as “terrorists.”
“We have come here to give the message that the Syrian nation is determined to retake every piece of land from the terrorists, and to re-establish safety and security, to reconstruct and rebuild infrastructure and rebuild everything that has been destroyed,” al-Assad said.
While the ceasefire is said to provide a chance for humanitarian aid, some critics have expressed skepticism in the announcement. They stated that they were wary of a deal that only covers certain areas such as Aleppo, a once thriving economic center that has since become an area of rubble. Additionally, the United States and Russia brokered a similar ceasefire in February, but only days later, there were still several airstrikes in the Aleppo region.
Today, The New York Times reported that only one hour after the ceasefire was announced, the deal was already violated.
“Less than an hour into the truce, residents in the divided northern city of Aleppo said via text message that a government helicopter had dropped explosive cylinders on a rebel-held district. And in the southern province of Dara’a, a rebel faction said in a statement that it had killed four government soldiers,” The New York Times wrote.
The country’s civil war began five years again when rebels sought to overthrow the Assad family rule, and there have been almost 300,000 casualties. Over 5 million Syrians have sought refuge in bordering countries and the United States. The instability created attracted terrorist groups such as ISIS to the area.
Do you think the ceasefire will be effective? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: CNN and The New York Times