Russia agrees to Syrian cease-fire after video airs of boy hit by bombs
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 19 August 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russia agrees to Syrian cease-fire after video airs of boy hit by bombs, 19 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57db9a1a4.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 19, 2016
Russia agreed to a 48-hour cease-fire in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo after a haunting video of a Syrian boy injured by an air strike went viral on the Internet on August 18.
The image of the dazed and weary boy, sitting in an ambulance caked with dust and blood on his face, captured the horror that has beset the city, a Syrian rebel stronghold that has been under siege for months by government troops backed by Russian air strikes.
The wide circulation of the video and horrified international reaction was reminiscent of the reaction to a photo of the body of a Syrian toddler which washed up on a Turkish beach last year.
"That little boy has never had a day in his life where there hasn't been war, death, destruction, poverty in his own country," U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said of the Aleppo boy.
The cease-fire next week will allow humanitarian assistance to be delivered in Aleppo and will be a "pilot project" for further possible cease-fires, Russian General Igor Konashenkov announced late August 18.
He said Russia is ready to provide protection to United Nations aid efforts in the city.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
