War in Syria continues 2 years after Arab spring

The Philippines welcomes the release of its 21 UN peacekeepers after they were freed by Syrian rebels. The members of a UN force monitoring a 1974 ceasefire between Syria and Israel were abducted on Wednesday, March 6. The abduction is a grim reminder that two years after the Arab spring brought hopes of democracy across the Middle East and North Africa, Syria is still mired in a devastating civil war. The conflict has killed more than 70,000 people, forced a million to flee with millions more displaced at home or missing, and an economic and humanitarian disaster. Rebels seized large swathes of territory, but growing tensions between moderates and powerful Islamists raise fears Syria could collapse in a new sectarian bloodbath. The United Nations said this week that “Syria is spiraling towards full-scale disaster.” And as hopes dim for peace, observers raise the alarm as the number of Syrian refugees, which just passed the million mark. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said Sunday, refugees could double or triple by the end of the year if the conflict does not end soon.

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