Not even the most optimistic observers actually believed that the Syrian ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia could survive longer than a few days. Sadly, they were proved right. Barely a week after the truce took effect an airstrike – almost certainly carried out by Syrian government or Russian forces – hit a UN aid convoy delivering food and medicine to a rebel-held area near the city of Aleppo, killing 12 civilians.
In a conflict which has seen atrocities and war crimes carried out on a regular basis over a five-year period, this attack was particularly horrendous. How can attacking an aid convoy ever be justified? The delivery was agreed to by all sides, the convoy had the necessary permits and the UN had informed the Syrian government of exactly when the aid was to be delivered. Soon after the attack the UN announced it was suspending all its aid convoys to Syria.
Just before the attack, the Syrian army had already declared that the truce was over, claiming that the rebels had not stuck to the terms of the ceasefire agreement. The Syrian army statement came two days after Washington expressed its regret for the “unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces fighting the Islamic State group” as a result of a mistaken US airstrike.
Soon after the attack on the UN convoy an airstrike hit a medical centre near Aleppo, killing four medics and nine rebels, followed by intense bombing throughout the week of rebel-held areas of Aleppo which killed numerous civilians. The ceasefire was now officially dead and the latest reports from Aleppo say the city of nearly two million people is without water. The bombings over the weekend are said to be one of the most intense of the entire conflict.
Perhaps Moscow would be more attentive to a Hillary Clinton administration
How much more suffering are the Syrian people expected to endure? It’s as if the world has become immune to the terrible atrocities taking place in Syria on an almost daily basis. Civilians have been attacked by chemical weapons and barrel bombs, hospitals have been deliberately attacked, food has been used as a weapon of war, millions of Syrians have become refugees in their own country and millions of others have fled. To make matters worse, there is the additional threat of Isis, which has also carried out war crimes and acts of genocide.
Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? It looks like the regime of President Bashar al-Assad feels it can act as it pleases because it has the unconditional backing of Russia and because it believes it will not be held to account for its actions. So, once again, the onus falls upon Russia to persuade Assad to alter his behaviour in this terrible conflict and to agree to negotiate with the rebels. The outgoing Obama administration’s clout over Moscow is now obviously on the decline, but Washington must nevertheless continue to pressure Russia to live up to its international obligations. Perhaps Moscow would be more attentive to a Hillary Clinton administration – hopefully Mrs Clinton will win November’s election.
The reality, of course, is that the negotiations between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are the only hope for some kind of settlement in this war. The US must also do whatever it can to persuade the moderate rebels to distance themselves from the jihadists – although I am not too convinced that Washington has such tremendous clout over these rebels.
The problem is that very often the moderates and Islamists end up fighting on the same side, against a common enemy. However, one of the main aims of the now defunct ceasefire was joint US-Russian action against Isis and other jihadist groups, an idea which should not be discarded under the right circumstances.
Meanwhile, the international community – and I mean the whole world, not just Europe and the US – should examine its conscience and financially support countries like Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon who have accepted millions of Syrian refugees, and also agree to take in a number of these refugees. If thinly spread all over the globe, in as many countries as possible, the settlement of Syrian refugees will be manageable.