Truce in Syria has ‘practically ended’

“I believe that practically it has failed and has ended,” said Zakaria Malahifji, head of the political office of the Aleppo-based group Fastaqim, adding that it remained to be seen if anything could be done “in theory” to save it. 

Asked whether he expected aid to reach rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo, he said: “There is no hope. It has been many days of procrastination. Every day there is a pretext. There is no hope of aid being delivered currently.” 

Speaking from the Turkish city of Gaziantep, he also indicated that rebel groups were preparing for new military action, saying “I imagine in the near future there will be action by the factions.” 

Meanwhile, the refugee crisis unleashed by the Syrian conflict has pushed the number of asylum seekers globally to a post-war record high, lifting overall migration flows, the OECD said. 

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 35 member states saw the number asylum seekers double in 2015 to 1.65 million, the body said in its annual International Migration Outlook. “We’re at a historic moment. When we look at 2016, we see an increase in the number of asylum seekers, even if the flow is lower,” said Jean-Christophe Dumont, the head of the OECD’s International Migration Division.