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Hundreds of residents of Idleb province in northeastern Syria demonstrate on August 30, 2019, near the town of Atme where Turkish forces responded with tear gas. RAMI AL SAYED / AFP

After weeks of deadly bombing in Idleb province in Syria, a unilateral ceasefire is due to come into effect this Saturday morning, August 31. Announcement of the Russian army, ally of the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian government forces will respect a ceasefire from 6 am on Saturday. The announcement is formulated by the Russian Ministry of Defense, which calls on the armed groups in the Idleb region to " renounce provocations and join the process of peaceful settlement in the areas they control ", end quote .

If the truce comes into effect, it will provide respite to the province's approximately three million people . According to the UN, two-thirds of these civilians are women and children. Many are displaced, driven from their homes by the war years in Syria.

The Idleb region is dominated by jihadist groups but there are also Syrian rebels backed by Turkey. The forces of the Damascus regime, supported by Russia, have been bombarding for months. They recently advanced on the ground in their drive to reconquer this province. More than 950 civilians have been killed in the Idleb region since late April, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).

See also : Syria: Idleb's request, a key issue for Damascus