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		</div><p>UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that warring parties in 11 countries have responded positively to his appeal for a global ceasefire to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.</p>
<p>However, he warned that turning words into peace is enormously difficult and fighting has escalated in major conflicts including Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>He called on all governments, groups and people with influence <em>“to urge and pressure combatants around the world to put down their arms”</em>, saying the need is urgent because <em>“the Covid-19 storm”</em> is now coming to all conflict areas.</p>
<p>Mr Guterres told a briefing at UN headquarters in New York that his appeal 10 days ago was rooted in the recognition that “there should be only one fight in our world today: our shared battle against Covid-19”.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">People around the world are joining the <a href="https://twitter.com/UN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UN</a>&#39;s appeal for a global ceasefire as we tackle the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> pandemic.</p>
<p>Citizen action is more important than ever.</p>
<p>Add your voice. Sign here.<a href="https://t.co/9VILqhXG9Y">https://t.co/9VILqhXG9Y</a></p>
<p>&mdash; António Guterres (@antonioguterres) <a href="https://twitter.com/antonioguterres/status/1245818285939027968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The UN chief said the appeal is <em>“resonating”</em> across the world, citing a growing number of endorsements for the ceasefire from 70 countries, civil society, religious leaders including Pope Francis, and more than one million people in an online petition.</p>
<p>He said parties to conflicts in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Colombia, Libya, Myanmar, the Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen have also expressed their acceptance.</p>
<p>But Mr Guterres said: <em>“There are enormous difficulties to implementation as conflicts have festered for years, distrust is deep, with many spoilers and many suspicions.”</em></p>
<p>He also warned that <em>“terrorist or extremist groups may take profit from the uncertainty created by the spread of the pandemic”</em>.</p>
<p>The secretary-general said that <em>“in many of the most critical situations, we have seen no let-up in fighting — and some conflicts have even intensified.”</em></p>
<p>In Yemen, he said that despite support for a ceasefire by the government, Houthi Shiite rebels and many other parties, <em>“the conflict has spiked”</em>.</p>
<p>Mr Guterres said UN envoy Martin Griffiths is preparing <em>“to convene the parties to discuss Covid-19 crisis management and a nationwide ceasefire mechanism.”</em></p>
<p>In Libya, the secretary-general said, the warning parties welcomed calls to stop the fighting, “yet clashes have escalated drastically on all front lines, obstructing efforts to effectively respond to Covid-19”.</p>
<p>He urged the UN-recognised government that holds the capital of Tripoli and parts of the country’s west and the rival government in the east that supports self-styled General Khalifa Hifter to immediately halt hostilities to allow the coronavirus threat to be addressed.</p>
<p>In Afghanistan, where fighting increased, Mr Guterres said the time has come for the government and the Taliban, who are working on a prisoner exchange, to cease hostilities “as Covid-19 looms over the country”.</p>
<p>In Syria, where the first coronavirus deaths have been reported, he said a ceasefire in the last rebel stronghold in northwest Idlib which was negotiated by Russia and Turkey is holding.</p>
<p>But the secretary-general said a permanent nationwide ceasefire is essential to tackle Covid-19 and help the millions suffering from the conflict which is now in its 10th year.</p>
<p><em>“We need robust diplomatic efforts to meet these challenges,”</em> Mr Guterres said. <em>“To silence the guns, we must raise the voices for peace.”</em></p>
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