Week 22-29th Feb,2016
• A ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia went into effect across Syria, marking the biggest international push to reduce violence in the country’s devastating conflict. However, the Islamic State group and al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, were excluded.
• The ceasefire aims to bring representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition back to the negotiating table in Geneva for talks on a political transition.
• The U.N.’s envoy, Staffan de Mistura, announced that peace talks would resume on March 7 if the cessation of hostilities largely holds.
• If it does, it would be the first time international negotiations have brought any degree of quiet in Syria’s five-year civil war. But success requires adherence by multiple armed factions and the truce is made more fragile because it allows fighting to continue against the Islamic State group and Nusra Front, which could easily re-ignite broader warfare.
• The Syrian government and the opposition, including nearly 100 rebel groups, have said they will abide by the ceasefire despite serious scepticism about chances for success.
• Opposition activists on the ground also reported early adherence to the truce.
• Less than an hour before the truce was set to begin, the 15-member Security Council unanimously endorsed the agreement worked out between the United States and Russia.
• Ceasefire would provide a chance for humanitarian aid to reach those battered by Syria’s brutal war and allow for a political solution.
• The High Negotiations Committee, or HNC, said a military committee has been formed to follow up on adherence.