According to the Special Envoy, there is a risk of further divisions in Syria, which is not in the country’s interest. “A large part of the (Syrian) territory has come under the control of non-state actors, including the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Tahrir. “There are other armed groups including Sham and the Syrian National Army.” Geyer Pedersen said that the total population of the areas under the control of these groups is 7 million. Among them is Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, which has a population of about 2 million. He said that Syrian security forces are regrouping in Hama city but they are under severe pressure and opposition military forces are getting closer to the city. There has been an increase in the attacks being carried out by both sides. In support of the government, security forces have targeted civilian establishments including hospitals in air strikes, while terrorist groups have used drone and rocket attacks. Special Envoy Pedersen said there were civilian casualties in the violent confrontation. According to him, tensions have also increased in northeastern Syria where US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have taken control of villages. This step has been taken by them in view of the fear of threat from Islamic State (Daesh). At the same time, there is news of Israel carrying out air strikes on Damascus and the Syrian-Lebanese border, due to which there is a risk of increasing instability in the region. Special Envoy Pedersen shared two important messages. First, there must be an immediate reduction in violent conflict and efforts must be made to establish peace in accordance with international humanitarian law. At the same time, a credible political horizon must be found for the Syrian people. He noted that the last five years have seen a rise and fall in violence, partly due to efforts to achieve a ceasefire. “But without engaging in a political process to deal with the crisis, this is simply conflict management.” remained limited. And that is not enough.” In view of this, he advocated for a serious political process to be pursued, together with the various factions of Syria, which will require the support of the international community. Geir Pedersen said that Syria needs to avoid division. , This is important to prevent the situation from getting worse and avert destruction.
