A/HRC/39/65 Great Britain and Northern Ireland and France launched attacks in the Syrian Arab Republic on 13 April following a suspected chemical attack in Douma (see paras. 92–93 below). On 19 April, after failing to secure an “evacuation agreement”, government forces escalated military campaigns against southern Damascus suburbs. On 30 April, the Syrian army began an operation to recapture northern rural Homs after negotiations facilitated by the Russian Federation had broken down a week earlier. Government forces meanwhile reached an agreement with armed factions to evacuate the southern Damascus suburbs of Yalda, Babila and Beit Sahem. 8. Between 13 and 17 May, the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Idriss Jazairy, was invited to Damascus. After his visit, the Special Rapporteur concluded that sanctions were exacerbating the suffering of Syrian civilians by their negative impact on human rights and humanitarian access, an assessment with which the Commission fully concurs. 4 9. Also in May, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced operation Al-Jazeera Storm against remnants of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which had regrouped along the border between the Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq. At the diplomatic level, representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and Turkey gathered in Astana on 14 May for a new round of talks to discuss developments in the “deescalation zones” and humanitarian issues, and to coordinate efforts to resolve the conflict. On 15 May, government forces gained full control of the last opposition held enclave in Homs governorate (see paras. 32–34 below). 10. After a month of heavy fighting, pro-Government forces declared on 21 May they had recaptured Yarmouk camp (situated in a strategic area near Damascus city) 5 and adjacent districts of Qadam, Tadamun and Hajar al-Aswad. In Idlib, the Astana guarantors announced on 28 May the set-up of 29 observation points to monitor the Idlib de-escalation zone. In an attempt to regroup, 11 FSA factions based in Idlib simultaneously merged under the umbrella Jabhat al-Wataniya lil-Tahrir (the “National Liberation Front”),6 creating one of the largest armed groups in the Syrian Arab Republic. 11. On 4 June, the United States of America and Turkey implemented a road map for Manbij (Aleppo), focusing on the withdrawal of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) from the area. Turkish and American officials indicated the road map would address issues that divided Ankara and Washington. On 18 June, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, began a two-week process to bridge the gap between the guarantor states of the Astana process and the United States-led Small Group (comprising France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States). Discussions focused on prospects for progress on the constitutional track, and the continuation of diplomatic efforts in support of a political settlement. 12. After recapturing eastern Ghouta on 14 April and northern Homs on 15 May, progovernment forces directed their attention south, launching an offensive on 19 June to recapture Dara’a governorate, which led to the displacement of more than 270,000 civilians. Despite mediation efforts by the guarantors of the southern ceasefire (the United States, the Russian Federation and Jordan), the military operation continued for two weeks before armed groups reached a deal on 6 July to stay hostilities. 4 5 6 4 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), “UN expert says unilateral coercive measures exacerbate humanitarian crisis in Syria”, press release, 17 May 2018. Yarmouk camp, located 8 km from central Damascus, was established in 1957. It was home to approximately 160,000 individuals prior to the conflict, comprising the largest Palestinian refugee community in the Syrian Arab Republic. In December 2012, the outbreak of hostilities forced some 140,000 refugees to leave Yarmouk camp. In April 2015, terrorists belonging to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) captured two thirds of Yarmouk, displacing thousands more to neighbouring Yalda, Babila, Beit Saham and Tadhamon. Comprises Faylaq al-Sham (the Sham Legion), Jaysh al-Nasr (the Army of Victory), the Free Idlib Army, the first and second Coastal Divisions, the 1st Infantry Division, Al-Jaysh al-Thani (the 2nd Army), Jaysh al-Nukhba (the Elite Army), Shuhada al-Islam Darayya, al-Hurriyat Brigade and the 23rd Division.