Save the Children Calls for Immediate 48-Hour Ceasefire in Syria

Save the Children urged all the sides involved in the armed conflict in Syria to launch a 48-hour humanitarian pause by the end of the week, as the violence in the country renewed in recent days and the humanitarian aid fails to reach many places where needed, the charity said in a statement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry welcomed UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura's proposal for a 48-hour pause in fighting in the city of Aleppo for UN humanitarian convoys to enter the city. The Russian military expressed readiness to implement next week the first 48-hour humanitarian pause to supply Aleppo with aid as a "pilot project."

"Save the Children is calling for a 48 hour ceasefire in Aleppo before the end of the week [Friday] and immediate access for aid convoys to besieged areas, as the situation worsens across Syria, " the statement reads.

"We urgently need a 48 hour ceasefire this week as a first step to get injured children out of Aleppo and bring aid in. But that is not enough – we must find a way to bring the siege and bombardment of civilians in Syria to an end. Children have already suffered too much," the statement added.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups.