At least 12 conflict parties have signed on to @antonioguterres’s appeal for a #GlobalCeasefire.

It is a promising start and the UN Security Council should endorse the call wholeheartedly. [Thread] ⇊
https://bit.ly/3ec5BPg ">https://bit.ly/3ec5BPg&q...

UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres struck a positive note amid the prevailing gloom when he proposed a global ceasefire that would allow all actors to focus on battling #Covid19.

The disease threatens to undermine weak states, trigger widespread unrest and severely test international crisis management systems.

See our briefing on how the pandemic can impact deadly conflict: https://www.crisisgroup.org/global/sb4-covid-19-and-conflict-seven-trends-watch">https://www.crisisgroup.org/global/sb...

Non-state armed groups from Colombia to the Philippines endorsed the idea.

The UN can now cite at least 12 conflict parties that have acknowledged the appeal.

@CrisisGroup has joined 193 other organisations in backing the initiative.
https://www.globalceasefire.org/our-movement ">https://www.globalceasefire.org/our-movem...

However, there have been some setbacks:

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔸" title="Small orange diamond" aria-label="Emoji: Small orange diamond"> The Cameroonian government has shown no interest in the separatists’ ceasefire offer
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔸" title="Small orange diamond" aria-label="Emoji: Small orange diamond"> Efforts for a ceasefire in #Libya appear to have derailed completely
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔸" title="Small orange diamond" aria-label="Emoji: Small orange diamond"> The Colombian government has treated the ELN declaration sceptically

The conflict actors who endorsed the ceasefire are still driven by the grievances and tensions that prompted them to fight in the first place.

No universal appeal can erase them.

The #UNSC needs to form a common position on the threat posed by #Covid19.

Supporting a narrow resolution that backs the Secretary-General’s #GlobalCeasefire call will give it some additional credibility among sceptical states and armed groups.

Armed groups might consider halting operations if some of the social and economic difficulties facing their supporters are addressed.

The UNSC could offer additional political backing to those actors who are prepared to cooperate with the initiative.

The global humanitarian ceasefire is a commendable aspiration that could create important opportunities for peacemaking.

It deserves the Security Council’s full support. https://bit.ly/3ec5BPg ">https://bit.ly/3ec5BPg&q...