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Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP
World News

Impending UN vote on Syria ceasefire sparks fresh prayer plea

Staff at the Christian humanitarian charity CAFOD urged believers to intercede, hours before a vote among the United Nations Security Council in New York at 5pm (UK time).

Alan Thomlinson, CAFOD's Syria Crisis Programme Manager, told Premier that believers can be "praying for a ceasefire, for humanitarian access and that all sides would be able to come together and find a negotiated settlement and a peaceful settlement to this conflict".

The call for prayer came at activists claimed 32 people died during a sixth day of air strikes by Syrian government warplanes on rebel-held areas in and around eastern Damascus.

The fatalities, reported by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, suggest more than 450 people have now died in violence in or near eastern Ghouta district.

Ghouta Media Center via AP

Referring to eastern Ghouta, Alan Thomlinson said: "The challenge is that this is an urban area with over 400,000 civilians stay living there; they are trapped in this cycle of violence."

Members of the UN Security Council are due to vote on a draft resolution which will demand a nationwide ceasefire and warn that 5.6 million people in Syria are in "acute need".

Ghouta Media Center via AP

Mr Thomlinson added: "We're calling for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian access, allow agencies in to provide food medicines and allow the most severely injured people to come out."

The resolution faces resistance from the Syrian government's ally, Russia, which wants to continue attacks on IS extremists in Syria, and al Qaida affiliates.

Click here to listen to Premier's Tola Mbakwe speaking with Alan Thomlinson from CAFOD:

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