As part of worldwide measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a global ceasefire on 23 March and called on the parties to the conflict to cease hostilities, saying; “End the sickness of war and fight the disease that is ravaging our world. It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives. Silence the guns; stop the artillery; end the airstrikes. This is crucial.”

In Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) responded by declaring that they would follow the UN appeal in the autonomous region and calling on all other parties to the conflict to immediately observe a humanitarian ceasefire. But so far the other warring parties have ignored this outstretched hand.

In Idlib province, a ceasefire negotiated between Ankara and Moscow has been largely observed since the beginning of March. But in the cities of Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain) and Girê Spî (Tal Abyad), which have been included in the Turkish occupation zone in North-East Syria since October 2019, and in the self-governing areas along the Turkish-Syrian border, significant military activities of Turkey's jihadist proxy army ("Syrian National Army", SNA) are taking place.

Turkey is using the Corona pandemic to expand its zone of occupation in the midst of the crisis. Despite warnings that a Covid-19 outbreak in Syria would pose a deadly threat to 6.5 million internally displaced persons suffering the effects of nine years of war, and a renewed appeal by the UN that a cessation of fighting could help create the conditions for the provision of life-saving aid, Northern and Syria continue to be under attack.

According to SDF Commander Majed Fayyad al-Shibli, the situation is escalating, especially in and around Ain Issa. The town is located on the M4 highway and occupies a key strategic position due to its relative proximity to Girê Spî in the north and Raqqa in the south - and thus to the gateway to Deir ez-Zor. For months now, there have been large-scale attacks on residential areas, which are intensifying in the current phase.

"The Corona pandemic threatens us all. We are determined to support the UN appeal and the international fight against the virus to protect our people. We will avoid military initiatives or actions and limit ourselves to legitimate self-defense only. The occupying Turkish state and its mercenaries, on the other hand, see the global ceasefire as an opportunity to launch large-scale attacks against our regions," al-Shibli said.

In addition to civilian settlement areas in the canton of Girê Spî, positions of Syrian regime troops are increasingly being attacked by the occupying forces. In the last 48 hours alone, at least four Syrian soldiers have been killed and six others injured. "We are committed to the ceasefire and have so far shown no reaction. But we are also obliged to take appropriate countermeasures within the framework of legitimate self-defense," said al-Shibli.

In recent times, the villages of Debs, Om al-Baramil, al-Fatesa, Saida and al-Khalidiyya have been increasingly targeted by the attackers in Ain Issa, and the villages of Kor Hassen, Qizeli, Salib, Sufyan and the area around the Qizeli silos in Girê Spî, said al-Shibli. "In addition to civilians, Syrian regime soldiers are also stationed here. However, the occupation forces are bombing everything that moves. Indiscriminate attacks are carried out in order to drive all people out of these areas. We will not stand idly by while the civilian population is attacked."

In the meantime, some 70 countries are expected to support the UN Secretary-General's appeal for a global ceasefire. In addition, in a number of wars, conflict parties accepted the call to lay down their arms, as Guterres explained in New York on Friday, according to a pre-distributed text. However, Guterres does not seem to have met with too much interest in world peace in the face of a global crisis. He was encouraged by early "positive signals". Yet, he had to repeat his appeal.

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