BEIRUT, 07 August 2021, (TON): The UN has called for a ceasefire in the flashpoint Syrian province of Daraa where it said recent fighting forced 18,000 to flee.

Fighting between government forces and armed opposition groups in the southern province last month killed at least 28 people.

The clashes have died down over the past week but were the most intense since the government seized back control of the region from rebels in 2018.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said “the escalation in hostilities has forced at least 18,000 civilians to flee Daraa Al-Balad since 28 July.”

The government attacks focused on Daraa Al-Balad, a southern district of Daraa’s provincial capital and a former opposition hub that continues to house ex-rebel fighters.

Bachelet said “there needs to be an immediate ceasefire to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Daraa.”

Russian-backed Syrian troops and allied forces recaptured Daraa province from rebels in 2018, in a symbolic blow to the anti-government uprising born in its provincial capital in 2011.