Covid-19: Tool of Conflict or Opportunity for Local Peace in Northwest Syria?

Abstract

Evidence shows that local communities played a central role in mitigating the impact of Covid-19, helping to bridge the governance gap in northwest Syria. As Covid-19 was spreading across the world in the early months of 2020, Russia and Turkey reached a ceasefire deal in the contested Idlib province. Syria entered a year where there was a relative lull in fighting and bloodshed. But nearly a decade of violent conflict put a strain on the capacity and resources of governmental bodies to mitigate the impact of Covid19 on the 13.4 million Syrian people in need of humanitarian assistance. This was especially the case in opposition-held areas in the northwest of the country, which is home to over 4 million civilians – more than half of whom are internally displaced. While the economic and humanitarian toll of the pandemic in Syria has attracted much attention, fewer studies have looked into the impact of Covid-19 on local peace dynamics.