The United Nations Security Council on Saturday unanimously approved a month-long ceasefire across Syria so people in the conflict-ridden country can receive humanitarian aid, The Guardian reported. Russia had earlier blocked the resolution even as the civilian toll in the rebel enclave of eastern Ghouta, in the outskirts of Damascus, neared 500.
While the ceasefire was made effective immediately, the kind of impact it will have on the battlefields in Syria remains unclear. The truce does not cover some of the biggest jihadist groups and their associates fighting the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the BBC reported. Bashar Jaafari, the Assad regime’s envoy to the United Nations, also did not commit to the resolution, saying his government would defend its territory and continue to “fight terrorism, wherever it is”.
Activists said the airstrikes on eastern Ghouta were continuing even after the resolution was passed, according to the BBC.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said they would talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the ceasefire plan. Russian forces have been fighting for Assad in the civil war in Syria since September 2015.
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