ROME – The Community of Sant’Egidio has welcomed with “confidence and hope” the news of a 48 hour ceasefire for Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, a member of the faith group reports.

 The initiative, mobilised by the Russian Minister of Defence, started on Thursday and brings a welcome break from the incessant bombardment that the city has faced for a period of more than four years.

 Aleppo has been one of the biggest targets of the Syrian conflict; its pre-war population of over two million and its long history of division into rebel and government sectors have rendered it a large threat to President Bashar al-Assad.

 Andrea Riccardi, Minister for International Cooperation in the Monti Cabinet, who founded the Community of Sant’Egidio in 1968 as a mission to help those in need across the globe, first launched the appeal #SaveAleppo back in June 2014. He recognised the need to put in place humanitarian corridors and provisions for the civilians of Aleppo, and hoped that from there, they would be able to work towards reaching a definitive end to the conflict.

 The news of the ceasefire therefore comes as a huge relief and indication of success to the members of the Community of Sant’Egidio. However a spokesperson for faith group has expressed the “extreme importance of the ceasefire being respected by all parties” as they believe that it could play a significant role in “facilitating the arrival of aid to the population” and mark the end of this drawn-out period of conflict for the city.

 This vision appears to be becoming a reality and the ‘human corridor’ initiative of the Sant’Egidian Community bearing fruit, as Thursday morning saw the arrival of 81 Syrian refugees into Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport. “This shows that [the project] is no longer just an experiment, but a concrete reality” that is allowing those in “vulnerable conditions to flee areas of conflict” and to arrive in Italy in complete legal security.

 Of the 81 refugees that have arrived, 30 are reported to be children, many of whom are in critical need of medical assistance. The refugees will be welcomed in various areas of Italy, including the Republic of San Marino for the first time.

dt