Syrian Cease-fire Fails to Bring Peace

By Caitlin O’Beirne

A car bomb exploded near a playground in Damascus on Friday, interrupting the Syrian four-day cease-fire put in place in honor of the most important Muslim holiday.

The blast killed five and injured more than 30, says the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks Syria from abroad.

The cease-fire was arranged by international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. Brahimi gained support from the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday. Some of President Bashar al-Assad’s allied nations including Russia, China, and Iran supported the cease-fire as well. The peace was intended to last until Monday because of the Eid al-Adha holiday celebrating the end of Hajj.

Both sides in the civil war claimed they would participate in the cease-fire as long as the opposing side did as well. State media reported on Thursday that the Syrian armed forces agreed to cease-fire. The armed forces statement said, “Military operations will cease across the entire Syrian territory as of 6:00 (3.00GMT) on 26 October until 29 October.” The armed forces insisted that they would respond to any terrorist attacks.

Despite compliance from both sides, violence still erupted across Syria on Friday. CNN says opposition groups reported 70 people were killed throughout the day, still significantly less than the usual average death toll of 150 to 200 people. Local Coordination Committees reported deaths in cities across Syria included Homs, Idlib, and Damascus.

If the ceasefire does lower the amount of violence, the UN refugee agency and the International Committee for the Red Cross say they will provide emergency supplies to areas previously inaccessible.

ICRC spokesman told BBC News, “Any truce would not only allow some of the humanitarian help to reach them, but it would also allow all the people who’ve been holed up in bunkers and at home, and also displaced in camps to rest a bit and to do normal things.”

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad was seen at morning prayers for Eid al-Adha in Damascus in an unusual public appearance.

Some citizens aren’t celebrating the holiday because of the violence. A woman from a Syrian town close to Turkey said to Reuter’s reporters, “We are not celebrating Eid here. No one is in the mood to celebrate. Everyone is just glad they are alive.”

Image Courtesy: AP Images