Nine years of crisis in Syria: Urgent need for a peaceful solution
There's an urgent need for peaceful solution in Syria, which is entering the tenth year of crisis since 2011. Ahead of the 9th anniversary of the devastating war, secretary-general of the United Nation, António Guterres appealed for solving the problem through diplomatic channels.
The conflict in Syria is entering its tenth year. A decade of fighting has brought nothing but ruin and misery. And civilians are paying the gravest price. There is no military solution. Now it is the time to give diplomacy a chance to work, the UN Secretary-General wrote on his Twitter account on Thursday.
The Syrian conflict has become a playground of great powers since 2011 which resulted in the displacement of millions and hundreds of thousand of people killed, more then one-third of them are civilians.
Turkey and Russia, indirectly fighting against each other have agreed upon a suspension of military operations in Idlib on 5 March after the parties were brought closer on the battlefield.
After 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack by a Syrian airstrike, the conflict escalated further. As a result, a decision not to stop migrants, made by the Turkish government followed immediately, thus putting a pressure on EU members to reach an agreement in the conflict and creating favourable conditions for Turkey.
“Millions of civilians continue to face protection risks, over half the population has been forced to flee their homes with millions living in precarious conditions as refugees and 11 million continue to require life-saving humanitarian assistance”, António Guterres wrote in another statement on Thursday.
“The steps to end the suffering of the Syrian people are well known but must be realized. First, the 5 March Additional Protocol to the Memorandum on Stabilization of the Situation in the Idlib De-Escalation Area agreed between the Russian Federation and Turkey must lead to a lasting cessation of hostilities that paves the way to a permanent ceasefire nation-wide”, he added.
Secondly, urging a diplomatic solution, “the parties need to return to the United Nations-facilitated political process mandated by Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), which remains the only viable path to end the conflict and offer lasting peace to the Syrian people”, Guterres wrote.
As a leading voice among world leaders, Pope Francis has called many times to end the conflict in Syria. In yet another heartfelt appeal on Sunday, the Holy Father particularly addressed the humanitarian crisis in Idlib. He reiterated his “great apprehension and pain for the inhumane situation of these defenceless people, among whom are many children whose lives are at risk”.
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