In a disheartening but not unexpected turn of events Brahimi's attempted ceasefire has encouraged no change in Syria as conflict and violence continued today unimpeded. Attacks by Syrian jets in Damascus have left at least 23 dead and the air raids continued with a special focus on the city of Maaret al-Numan. Along with this, rather than a steady continuation of the violence that preceded the truce, the conflict seems to be picking up in intensity as illustrated by the assassination of Syrian air force General Abdullah Mahmoud al-Khalidi.
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| Kofi Annan |
This isn't the first ceasefire that the Syrian civil war has seen. Back in February some may recall Kofi Annan's "Six Point Peace Plan for Syria," Kofi Annan, former special envoy to Syria proposed a similar ceasefire between the conflicting forces. Kofi's truce proposal held out longer than Brahimi's modern attempt and at several points even looked quite promising. Just as in the failed truce this last week, Syria eventually acquiesced to the conditions. Unfortunately, both ceasefires failed in similar ways as well, primarily because neither side was able to keep their end of the bargain.
I'll leave you with a thought; Kofi's ceasefire was able to persist for at least enough to foster some international discussion, so what does it say about the state of the conflict now that Syria couldn't even hold out for four days? With this in mind feel free to check out the video below for an in depth look at the failed ceasefire and some updates on other major topics in Syria this week.
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