UN Secretary General wants action to be taken on sieges in Syria and use of barrel bombs

#barrelbombs #syria #assad #UNSC #ghouta #damascus With no end in sight to the hostilities and civil unrest in Syria that has been going on since 2011 and with death toll over 210,000, the US Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has denounced the apparent business-as-usual approach to Syria. He has called for urgent action to lift sieges on civilians and to end barrel bomb attacks. This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 20 February 2015.
In a report to the Security Council, he has listed five priorities for action to normalize the situation and give relief to the people. These include the lifting of sieges on 212,000 people, ensuring access to medical aid to all of Syria and rebuilding the education system. Moreover, he wants the 15-member council to address barrel-bomb attacks on civilians and put an end to the practice of denying services as a weapon of war.
His report was the 12th to the council, which is believed to be deeply divided over the war that has left more than 210,000 dead and has displaced 12 million Syrians.
Incidentally, Russia which is an ally of President Bashar al-Assad has blocked moves to punish the regime for the worsening violence. As per reports with Ban Ki-moon, there has been a significant escalation of violence and attacks by government forces during January in Damascus, rural Damascus and in eastern Ghouta. It seems in the eastern Ghouta region, Assad's forces had carried out aerial bombardments with barrel bombs, and had shelled the area apart from launching surface-to-surface missiles.

Another interesting blog - Citizen Journalist

Another interesting blog - Ramblings

Assad government agrees to six-week ceasefire in Aleppo

#aleppo #syria #assad #mortarfire #SOHR It has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 19 February 2015 that the government of Syria has agreed to put on hold airstrikes and artillery shelling on Aleppo for six weeks to see if a ceasefire is workable in the city which is divided into a rebel-controlled west and government-held east.
This has been informed by the United Nations envoy to Syria by Staffan de Mistura who was briefing the Security Council in a closed session on his latest efforts to find a solution to the civil war that has torn Syria apart over the past four years.
In his opinion, the fresh development should be viewed as a 'glimmer of hope' and emphasized the need for a political solution to the conflict. He would also have to convince the opposition and obtain their support for the plan – this would mean they would have to suspend rocket and mortar fire in the same period.
Incidentally, in spite of the agreement to a ceasefire by the regime of Assad, battles have been raging in and around Aleppo and have resulted in the death of killed at least 70 pro-government fighters apart from another 80 insurgents in the last 24 hours.
This was the outcome of a fresh offensive launched in Aleppo by the army. The army, backed by local allied militia, had captured areas north of Aleppo. As per the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, this was basically an attempt to encircle the city and throttle the supply lines.
The conflict in Syrian began in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad and has gradually taken the shape of a civil war, drawing in foreign fighters on both sides. According to UN estimates, the total number of casualties is nearly 220,000 while millions have fled to neighboring countries to seek refuge.

Another interesting blog - Citizen Journalist

Another interesting blog - Ramblings