This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-43183903
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Syria war: UN Security Council approves 30-day ceasefire | Syria war: UN Security Council approves 30-day ceasefire |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The UN Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria. | The UN Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria. |
| The 15-member council voted to allow aid deliveries and medical evacuations. | The 15-member council voted to allow aid deliveries and medical evacuations. |
| It follows a week of intense bombardment of the Eastern Ghouta rebel enclave, near Damascus, by government forces. But after the vote, activists said air strikes were continuing. | It follows a week of intense bombardment of the Eastern Ghouta rebel enclave, near Damascus, by government forces. But after the vote, activists said air strikes were continuing. |
| The vote had been delayed several times since Thursday as members struggled to come to an agreement. | The vote had been delayed several times since Thursday as members struggled to come to an agreement. |
| Russia, an ally of Syria's government, wanted changes. Western diplomats accused Moscow of stalling for time. | Russia, an ally of Syria's government, wanted changes. Western diplomats accused Moscow of stalling for time. |
| The US ambassador to the UN, Nicky Haley, called for the ceasefire to be implemented immediately, but said she was sceptical that Syria would comply. | The US ambassador to the UN, Nicky Haley, called for the ceasefire to be implemented immediately, but said she was sceptical that Syria would comply. |
| Russia's UN envoy said the ceasefire would not be possible without agreements between warring factions. | |
| The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said warplanes struck the Eastern Ghouta minutes after the council adopted the resolution late on Saturday. | The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said warplanes struck the Eastern Ghouta minutes after the council adopted the resolution late on Saturday. |
| Earlier the observatory said 500 people had been killed in the enclave since last Sunday. | Earlier the observatory said 500 people had been killed in the enclave since last Sunday. |
| UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said the situation in the Eastern Ghouta was like "hell on Earth". | UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said the situation in the Eastern Ghouta was like "hell on Earth". |
| How bad is the situation in the Eastern Ghouta? | |
| On Saturday, the Syrian Observatory said at least 29 civilians were killed, including 17 in the main town, Douma - bringing the total to over 500 for the week. | |
| The group said the strikes were being carried out by both Syrian and Russian planes - although Russia denies direct involvement. | |
| Barrel bombs and shell fire have been dropped on the area, where some 393,000 people remain trapped. | |
| Aid groups report several hospitals being put out of action since Sunday. | |
| The Syrian government has denied targeting civilians and said it is trying to liberate the Eastern Ghouta from "terrorists" - a term it has used to describe both the jihadist militants and the mainstream rebel groups that hold the enclave. | |
| Who are the rebels? | |
| The rebels in Eastern Ghouta are not one cohesive group. They encompass multiple factions, including jihadists, and in-fighting between them has led to past loses of ground to the Syrian government. | |
| The two biggest groups in the area are Jaish al-Islam and its rival Faylaq al-Rahman. | |
| The latter has in the past fought alongside the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham - an alliance of factions led by the Nusra Front, which sprung from al-Qaeda. | |
| The Syrian government is desperate to regain the territory, because it says the rebels are directly endangering the capital. | |
| Eastern Ghouta is so close that it is possible for rebels to fire mortars into the heart of Damascus, which has also led to civilian deaths. | |
| Syrian state media said rebels have killed at least 16 civilians in eastern districts of the city since Sunday. |