UN will push for nationwide ceasefire in Syria: Envoy

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United Nations (UN) on Monday said they will continue to call for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria with the war-torn country under control of different forces more than a decade after massive protests triggered a devastating civil war. 

“We will continue to work to try and see if there is a possibility for a nationwide ceasefire,” Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, told reporters after a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Damascus.

Pedersen labeled the economic situation in Syria as “extremely difficult,” saying around 15 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. 

Syria’s civil war began in 2011 when anti-government protestors demanded democratic reforms but the demonstrations quickly escalated into a violent conflict that has left hundreds of thousands of people dead and left large parts of the country in ruins. 

As President Bashar al-Assad withdrew his forces from large parts of the country, rebel groups and terrorist organizations like the Islamic State (ISIS) seized vast swathes of territory, ringing alarm bells around the world about the terror group’s rise.

However, Syrian government forces in recent years have taken back large amounts of territory from rebel groups, with heavy financial and military support from major allies Russia and Iran. 

Pedersen also told reporters following the meeting with Syria’s top diplomat that the UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which was adopted in 2015 in an attempt to work towards peace in the country “has not been working so far.” 

At least 306 thousand civilians have been killed during the brutal Syrian civil war, according to a statement by UN Human Rights Office in June.

By Zheen Saman

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