HIGHLIGHTS
ISSG representatives agree to a nationwide cessation of hostilities
Relief agencies reach 778,000 people in hard-to-reach and besieged locations since January
Intensified aerial attacks in and around the city of Aleppo cause civilian casualties and damage key infrastructure, including NGO-supported health facilities
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
During a February 12 meeting in Munich, Germany, representatives of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) agreed to a nationwide cessation of hostilities in Syria, which went into effect on February 27. As part of the agreement, ISSG members agreed to lobby for accelerated humanitarian access to priority besieged and hard-to-reach areas under the guidance of the Humanitarian Assistance Task Force.
The reduction in violence, following the cessation of hostilities agreement, has enabled the UN, in collaboration with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to conduct increased cross-line humanitarian assistance deliveries to hard-to-reach and besieged locations in Syria. As of May 3, the deliveries had provided life-saving assistance, including emergency food rations, nutritional supplements, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) items, medical supplies, and other emergency relief commodities, to an estimated 778,000 people in such areas.
As of May 3, USAID/FFP partner the UN World Food Program (WFP) had conducted 22 successful high-altitude humanitarian airdrops to the besieged city of Dayr az Zawr, delivering 380 metric tons (MT) of food assistance for approximately 110,000 people.
On March 17, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) had committed acts of genocide against groups in areas under ISIL control, including Christians, Shia Muslims, and Yezidis. Secretary Kerry called on local populations to ensure that ISIL-persecuted groups can safely return and reintegrate into communities.