UN envoy dispatches mission to Syria to lay groundwork for Aleppo 'freeze'

The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is continuing discussions with the Government of Syria on his proposed 'freeze' of localized hostilities in the city of Aleppo, the United Nations spokesperson's office said today.

Mr. de Mistura is currently dispatching a mission to Aleppo to assess the situation on the ground amid continuing fighting throughout the Middle Eastern country, a note to correspondents issued this morning by the UN Spokesperson has confirmed.

The mission will seek to ensure that once the so-called 'freeze' is announced, humanitarian aid can “significantly increase,” and any violations can be followed-up with the appropriate arrangements.

According to the UN, the conflict in Syria has sparked the largest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, with 7.6 million people displaced and 3.2 million refugees created by the conflict, as well as a further 12.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

Well over 150,000 people have died in the conflict, with at least 680,000 injured. Several rounds of UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva among the parties last year ended without a settlement and the Organization has since been reiterating the need to press ahead with political negotiations to achieve the aims of the Geneva Communiqué.