Syria Deeply Weekly Update: Cease-fires and Sectarianism in Syria - Impunity Watch

The most important updates on the war in Syria.

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WEEKLY UPDATE
September 17, 2016

Dear Readers,Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. But first, here is a brief overview of what happened this week:The cease-fire brokered by the United States and Russia came into effect, just as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) announced a higher death toll for the six-year-long Syrian conflict. The U.K.-based observatory has documented the deaths of 301,781 civilians and fighters, but placed the actual death toll at approximately 430,000 since 2011.Under the terms of the cease-fire agreement, all parties involved in the conflict must cease hostilities and access must be granted for humanitarian aid deliveries. If successful, the current agreement would lead to increased military cooperation in Syria between the U.S. and Russia.Fighting declined significantly since the start of the truce but did not completely stop. On Thursday at least 23 civilians, including nine children and two women, were reported to have been killed in airstrikes on the largely ISIS-controlled city of al-Mayadin in Deir Ezzor province. An additional 30 people were injured in the airstrikes, at least one of which reportedly hit a shelter for displaced families, according to the SOHR.The cease-fire did not include the so-called Islamic State and the former al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, so Thursday’s airstrikes did not constitute a violation of the deal.Moscow is using its influenc e to ensure the Syrian government upholds the cease-fire, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Friday. He added that Russia expects the U.S. to use its own sway with rebel groups to maintain the cessation of hostilities.Five days into the cease-fire, however, humanitarian aid has yet to enter Syria. Jens Laerke, spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the U.N. is “waiting for assurances that conditions are safe enough” for the aid convoys to cross the border from Turkey. The humanitarian agency is also awaiting proper entry permits from the Syrian government. Some 40 trucks in two separate humanitarian convoys are waiting to enter Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, with enough supplies to feed some 80,000 people for one month.

All eyes will be on these aid convoys in the coming days at the United Nations General Assembly session in New York, including a summit on refugees and migrants on Monday. A top priority at the meeting of international leaders will be Syria, specifically the role of the U.N. role in getting much-needed aid into the country’s hard-to-reach and besieged areas.“Major countries with influence have a duty to use their influence and seize this latest opportunity to pursue a political solution to end this catastrophic conflict,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

Weekly Highlights:

Long Read: Game of Shrines and the Road to Darayya

As the Syrian government and its allied militias evacuate mostly Sunni populations from rebel-held areas, sectarian narratives are filling the vacuum.

In this photo released on the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency, Syrian President Bashar Assad, prays the dawn Eid al-Adha prayers at the Saad ibn Muaaz Mosque in Daraya, a blockaded Damascus suburb, Syria, Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. Syrian Presidency via Facebook

Syrian Refugees Save to Make Hajj Pilgrimage

Thanks to growing employment opportunities, more Syrian refugee families in Jordan have been able to save enough money to make the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this year.

Ahmed Albaker, a Syrian refugee living in Jordan’s Zaatari camp, opens his Quran to quote a passage. Lora Moftah

Experts Weigh In on U.S.-Russia Agreement for Syria

Atlantic Council experts Frederic C. Hof and Faysal Itani discuss the potential outcomes of the cease-fire deal negotiated between the U.S. and Russia, highlighting that the plan’s success hinges on removing civilians from danger.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov walk in to their meeting room in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, September 9, to discuss the crisis in Syria. Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photos via AP

Additional Reading:

For new reporting and analysis every weekday, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria.
You can reach our team with any comments or suggestions at info@newsdeeply.org.

Top image: Civilians leaving the town of Suran, in Hama province, Syria, Thursday Sept. 1, 2016, after suspected government warplanes carried out several airstrikes in the area. Syria Press Center via AP