UN Security Council to discuss developments in Syria

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold a meeting on Syria today, likely to centre on issues of pandemic relief and ongoing conflict resolution.

Although the distribution of territory occupied by warring factions has not changed in eight months, airstrikes by the Syrian government on rebel-held areas persist. The war-torn nation has also suffered dramatically from the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts to coordinate relief have been bogged down by the imposition of measures to protect against diversion towards belligerent forces.

While the Assad regime remains active in rebel suppression, the UNSC has tried to facilitate negotiations by calling for the adoption of a ceasefire under Resolution 2254. Expect little headway to be made in the realm of a tenable political settlement as previous ceasefires have been repeatedly violated. Moreover, external forces will likely fuel the prolongation of the conflict, as the Turkish presence remains strong in the north and tensions are on the rise between Israel and Iran over the latter’s militarisation in Syria’s east. Support from Russia and Iran and the absence of a clear opposition leader give Assad little incentive to negotiate. Without an agreement between the multifaceted network of foreign interests, a conflict that has displaced millions has no discernible resolution.

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