Syria Peace Process May Be Delayed: U.N.

The United Nations will not issue invitations to the first round of peace talks set for January 25 between Syria’s government and opposition until major powers involved in the peace process can agree on who should represent the opposition, Reuters reports.

The 17 countries in the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) pushing for a peace deal in Syria have been struggling over who will represent the opposition at the negotiating table.

“At this stage the U.N. will proceed with issuing invitations when the countries spearheading the ISSG process come to an understanding on who among the opposition should be invited,” said U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq.

The ISSG includes major backers of Bashar al-Assad’s government – Iran and Russia – as well as prominent supporters of the opposition, such as Saudi Arabia and the United States.

U.N. diplomats have said it looks increasingly likely that the first round of talks will be delayed.

“Delay appears likely,” an anonymous diplomat said.

And diplomatic sources told Reuters that U.N. envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura underlined the possibility of a delay in the talks in a recent closed-door briefing of the Security Council.

ISIS Captures More Territory in Deir Ezzor

Islamic State (ISIS) militants launched another offensive on Monday, using a sandstorm in eastern Syria for cover to surprise government forces and take over areas of Deir Ezzor, Associated Press reports.

The extremists captured several areas in the northern city, including weapons depots in the village of Ayash and the Saiqa Camp army base, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Opposition activist Omar Abu Leila said that ISIS fighters had taken the entire village of Ayash, just north of another town seized by the group over the weekend.

Both Abu Leila and the Observatory said that a sandstorm had greatly reduced visibility around Deir Ezzor over the weekend, giving ISIS fighters the element of surprise and protecting them from airstrikes.

ISIS fighters took several areas in the Deir Ezzor province over the weekend, killing scores of troops and civilians and abducting hundreds of others.

While ISIS controls the majority of the northeastern province, including much of the region’s capital, the Syrian government still controls several districts of the city and an adjacent military airport.

The extremist group’s recent push in Deir Ezzor appears to be an attempt to reverse a series of defeats of the past month.

“Daesh is trying to capture Deir Ezzor to achieve a victory after its recent failures in Syria and Iraq,” the Observatory’s chief Rami Abdulrahman said, using an Arabic acronym to refer to ISIS.

Five Starve in Madaya in One Week, Dozens More at Risk

Five people died of starvation in Madaya over the past week and dozens more are at risk, Reuters reports.

Local medics have reported 32 starvation deaths over the past month in the besieged town just outside of Syria’s capital.

“Since 11 January, despite the assistance provided, five people reportedly died of severe and acute malnutrition in Madaya,” according to a U.N. humanitarian report published late Sunday.

Under government siege since July 2015, up until last week the town had not received any food or medical aid since October.

With little food left in the community of 42,000, even after two emergency U.N. deliveries last week, a single biscuit now sells for $15 and baby milk costs $313 per kilo.

Dozens of other acutely malnourished people are in immediate need of specialized medical care if they are to survive. According to the U.N. and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, aid workers have only managed to evacuate 10 people.

According to U.N. figures, there are some 450,000 people trapped under siege in about 15 areas across the country, including areas controlled by the government, ISIS and other rebel groups.

The U.N. made seven requests in 2015 to deliver aid to Madaya, but only received permission once in October to deliver aid to half of the community. Due to international pressure and several more U.N. requests, life-saving aid was allowed in on January 11 and January 14.

Nearly 50 people were evacuated from the town on January 11, according to the U.N. report.

Recommended Reads

• The New York Times: Dispute Over Opposition’s Seat at Table Threatens to Push Back Syria Peace Talks
• Los Angeles Times: Backed by Russian Air Power, Syria’s Army Builds on Gains
• The Guardian: ISIS fighters Abduct Up To 400 Civilians in Major Attack on Deir Ez-Zor
• Associated Press: Islamic State’s Double Standards Sow Growing Disillusion
• VICE: Where Could Syrian President Bashar Assad Eventually Find Refuge?

Top image: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, right, speaks with United Nations envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura in Damascus on Nov. 10, 2014. Syrian peace talks scheduled to begin in a week are looking increasingly moot as regional tensions boil over and a string of battlefield victories by government troops further bolster the hand of President Bashar Assad, plunging the rebels into disarray. (SANA via AP)