The Syrian ceasefire has led to a "huge drop" in civilian casualties, according to a human rights watchdog. But the UN envoy noted that "success is not guaranteed," signaling uncertainty ahead of scheduled peace talks.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/I.Pitalev
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UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura on Thursday told reporters in Geneva that the "cessation of hostilities" among government forces, rebels and foreign fighters in Syria has "greatly reduced" violence in the country.
"The cessation of hostilities has been in place for six days and it has had an effect," de Mistura noted.
"The situation … on the ground could be summarized as fragile," de Mistura added. "Success is not guaranteed, but progress has been visible."
The UN envoy also noted that he has set a "penciled date" for March 9 to restart peace talks that stalled shortly after starting in early February.
However, fighting continued in areas held by the "Islamic State" militant group and al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, which are not covered by the ceasefire.
"The lack of access in Syria has been one of the greatest challenges for humanitarian organizations in a generation," Egeland said.
"With the cessation of hostilities, this access could be the game changer in Syria we have been waiting [on] for a very long time," he added.
Nonviolent resistance
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'Huge drop' in civilian casualties
Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told the AFP news agency that Syria witnessed a "huge drop" in civilian casualties since the ceasefire took effect.
He noted that the daily average of civilian deaths for February had reached 38.
"Compare that number to Friday, the day before the truce came into effect: 63 civilians, including 11 children, died that day alone," said Rahman.
More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed since the conflict started in March 2011 after government forces violently cracked down on nonviolent protesters calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
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Image: AP
The "Arab Spring" effect
In 2011, as regimes crumble across the region, tens of thousands of Syrians take to the streets to protest against corruption, high unemployment and soaring food prices. The Syrian government responds with live ammunition, claiming some 400 lives by May.
Image: dapd
Condemnation without consensus
At the urging of Western countries, the UN Security Council condemns the violent crackdown. The EU and US implement an arms embargo, visa bans and asset freezes in the months that follow. With the backing of the Arab League, calls eventually grow for the Syrian president's departure. But not all UN members agree with this demand.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Szenes
Assad refuses to back down
Bashar al-Assad - who has been in power since the death of his father in 2000 - sees his reputation wane with the continuing unrest. He refuses to end decades-long emergency rule, which allows for surveillance and interrogation. Russia backs its ally, supplying weapons and vetoing UN resolutions on Syria multiple times.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Y. Badawi
The opposition gets organized
By the end of the year, human rights groups and the UN have evidence of human rights abuses. Civilians and military deserters are slowly beginning to organize themselves to fight back against government forces, which have been targeting dissidents. More than 5,000 have died so far in the fighting. It will take another six months before the UN acknowledges that a war is taking place on Syrian soil.
Image: Reuters/Goran Tomasevic
Outside intervention
In September 2012, Iran confirms that it has fighters on the ground in Syria - a fact long denied by Damascus. The presence of allied troops underscores the hesitance of the US and other Western powers to intervene in the conflict. The US, stung by failed interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, sees dialogue as the only reasonable solution.
Image: AP
Fleeing the conflict
As the death toll nears 100,000, the number of refugees in neighboring countries - such as Turkey and Jordan - hits one million. That number will double by September 2013. The West and the Arab League have seen all attempts at a transitional government fail in the two years of war, watching as fighting spills over into Turkey and Lebanon. They fear Assad will stay in power by any means possible.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
No united front against Assad
Assad has long claimed he's combatting terrorists. But it's not until the second year of war that the fragmented Free Syrian Army is definitely known to include radical extremists. The group Al-Nusra Front pledges allegiance to al Qaeda, further splintering the opposition.
Image: Reuters/A. Abdullah
From brute force to chemical warfare
In June 2013, the White House says it has evidence that Assad has been using sarin nerve gas on civilians - a report later backed by the UN. The discovery pushes US President Barack Obama and other Western leaders toward considering the use of military force. However, Russia's proposal to remove the chemical weapons ultimately wins out.
Image: Reuters
Islamic State emerges
Reports of a new jihadist group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) emerge in the final weeks of 2013. Taking land in northern Syria and Iraq, the group sparks infighting among the opposition, with some 500 dead by early 2014. The unexpected emergence of IS ultimately draws the US, France, Saudi Arabia and other nations into the war.
