UN applauds ceasefire by Kurdish-led SDF in Syria amid coronavirus crisis

QAMISHLI (Kurdistan 24) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has praised the decision taken by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to suspend their military actions in order to allow all sides to focus on fighting the global outbreak of the coronavirus.

“We welcome the statement by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on 24 March expressing support for the Secretary-General's appeal for an immediate global ceasefire to facilitate the global response to COVID-19, and announcing the SDF’s commitment to avoid engaging in military action,” Guterres said in a statement on Thursday, which also called on all other parties in the Syrian conflict to support his appeal.

“The UN, as Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen announced on Tuesday, is calling for a complete and immediate nationwide ceasefire throughout Syria, in line with resolution 2254, to enable an all-out effort to suppress COVID-19,” continued the statement.

On Tuesday, the SDF leadership urged all actors in Syria to refrain from military actions and make an immediate commitment to a humanitarian truce. 

Read More: Kurdish-led SDF calls for truce in Syria amid coronavirus pandemic

“The General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces declares its commitment to global efforts which aim to combat coronavirus with support and effective response to this situation,” the SDF Command said in a statement. 

Monday's appeal issued by Guterres on called on warring parties in conflicts across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the immediate battle against the highly-contagious disease that has swept across the world since first being discovered in late 2019.

Such a global ceasefire, said the UN, “would allow humanitarians to reach populations that are most vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19,” as the virus is officially named.

In its statement, released on the following day, the SDF underlined that its fighters would only defend themselves and against outside attacks and would avoid engaging in military actions.

“We hope that this humanitarian truce will help to open the door for dialogue and political solution and to put an end to the war in the world and Syria.”

In an attempt to prevent the coronavirus from reaching northeast Syria, the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration has taken several precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic such as closing the border crossing, shutting down public places, and announcing an indefinite curfew on March 19.

Read More: Syrian Kurdish officials impose curfew to prevent coronavirus outbreak 

In a video posted to Twitter on Monday, Gen. Mazlum Abdi, the commander in chief of the SDF, urged residents to obey the new regulations and be “vigilant, safe and secure.” 

The Health Department of the local administration on Tuesday urged the EU, United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), and international organizations to provide medical aid to prevent a potential catastrophe.

Read More: Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria ill-prepared for coronavirus outbreak

Also, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on Monday warned that the coronavirus in Syria could lead to one of the most severe outbreaks in the world. IRC spokesperson Misty Buswell warned in a public statement that, in northeast Syria, only one out of 16 hospitals is functioning at full capacity.

After Turkey intervened in northeastern Syria in October 2019, Russia and the US reached separate ceasefire deals with Turkey which allowed Turkey to control the area between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain. Despite the ceasefire deals, Turkish-backed groups continue to occasionally shell areas held by the SDF.

As recently as Tuesday, Turkish-backed groups reportedly shelled SDF-held villages near Tal Tamir, south to Ras al-Ain and Zirgan town east to Ras al-Ain.

Syria reported its first infection on Sunday. Up until then, Damascus has denied any cases in territories under their control, despite reports suggesting otherwise.   

Read More: Syrian government quiet amid coronavirus outbreak 

There have been no confirmed cases in areas under SDF control.

Thomas McClure, a Syria-based researcher at the Rojava Information Center, told Kurdistan 24 that this is likely because the local administration in the SDF-held northeast of Syria does not have access to a single testing kit. 

Over 594,000 people are confirmed to have contracted the virus in over 180 countries worldwide, according to data compiled by WHO. More than 27,000 have died, as per official numbers reported by governments around the world, though the rate could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting.

Editing by John J. Catherine