Syria: New ceasefire tested in parts of Homs province August 4

Event

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced a ceasefire on Thursday, August 3, between forces loyal to President Bashir al-Assad and opposition forces in Homs province, the third such “de-escalation zone” guaranteed by Astana talks participants (Russia, Iran, and Turkey). While the ceasefire initially brought calm for several hours, reports emerged on Friday, August 4, that government and opposition forces exchanged rockets and gunfire north of the city of Homs overnight. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that it had not received reports of any deaths in the Homs ceasefire area.

If it holds, the ceasefire would allow for greatly needed humanitarian aid to reach the opposition-held areas north of Homs.

Context

Syria is enmeshed in a complex civil war that started between the Assad government and opposition forces in March 2011. Today, the conflict in Syria involves many parties, including the Syrian government, the Russian government, the Iranian government, the Turkish government, a United States-led coalition, and numerous armed groups on the ground (including the Islamic State) with competing goals. Multiple rounds of negotiations to establish a political solution to the civil war have taken place in Geneva. More recently, Russia-initiated rounds of peace talks have taken place in Astana but do not include a US delegation as an active participant.

Advice

Due to extremely poor security conditions, Western governments generally advise against all travel to Syria, with some countries banning travel to the country. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to any travel to Syria.