A/HRC/37/72 Recent military victories by pro-Government forces have weakened the opposition and impacted the peace talks. Reaching international consensus is complicated as the underlying interests of the parties diverge. These trends have recently been characterized by military victories, including by the Syrian Army and the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIL in Raqqah and Dayr al-Zawr. 26. Despite evolving conflict dynamics in the eastern part of the country and rising levels of violence in Idlib and eastern Ghutah (Rif Damascus), the use of ceasefires, in some instances, has reduced violence. Most recently, a ceasefire brokered by the United States of America, the Russian Federation and Jordan in July 2017 led to a decrease in the levels of violence in the south-west of the country, particularly in Dar’a, Qunaytirah and Suwaydah. More generally, July and August 2017 were characterized by Russian efforts to operationalize local ceasefire accords with armed groups, including in northern Homs and eastern Ghutah (Rif Damascus). 27. On the military front, the Syrian Army made significant gains against ISIL in the oil-rich desert to retake control of Dayr al-Zawr. In that context, the United States and the Russian Federation agreed on a “deconfliction line” along the Euphrates River whereby areas south of the Euphrates fall under the control of the Government, the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and areas north of the river would be controlled by the United States and the Syrian Democratic Forces. Tensions between the Syrian Army and the Syrian Democratic Forces over the control of strategic oil fields in Dayr al-Zawr may escalate after the Government indicated in October 2017 that it planned to retake the country’s natural resources. 28. At the northern front, Turkey initiated preparations for an offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces in Afrin (Aleppo) and intensified shelling of Kurdish-held towns in northern Syria to diminish the influence of the Democratic Union Party. In Idlib, Turkish-backed armed groups continued to cede territory in the face of government advances, which has left them in isolated pockets, divided and politically marginalized. The weakening of those armed groups enabled Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham3 to emerge as the main actor in Idlib after it had inflicted heavy military losses on Ahrar al-Sham. Throughout the reporting period, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham endeavoured to consolidate its foothold in northwestern Syria by incorporating smaller, locally entrenched groups in Hamah and Idlib governorates and forcibly exerting control over the civilian administration in Idlib. Nonetheless, widespread civilian protests hindered Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham from retaining control of key urban centres. 29. Tensions also rose between the Government and the Democratic Union Party in late August 2017, after the Kurdish-led authorities unilaterally announced their intention to hold communal and local elections to consolidate administrative control over Kurdish-controlled areas. Outbreak of the unrest in 2011 and the subsequent withdrawal in 2012 of Syrian authorities from Kurdish territories enabled the Democratic Union Party to consolidate power and legitimize its project to establish a de facto autonomous region. Militarily, Kurdish forces continued to secure control over major gas and oil fields after launching a military campaign in September 2017, with the support of the United States, to liberate Dayr al-Zawr. 30. Following the May 2017 agreement between the Russian Federation, Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran to establish de-escalation zones to reduce levels of violence in certain Syrian governorates, the guarantor States met in Astana on 14 and 15 September for a new round of talks to decide on the implementation of the agreement over a six-month period in northern Homs, eastern Ghutah (Rif Damascus) and Idlib. Despite the agreement, the situation in eastern Ghutah — under siege since 2013 — continued to deteriorate after airstrikes and military ground operations by the Syrian Army intensified, further tightening the siege and consequently worsening the humanitarian situation for over 390,000 confined civilians. Infighting among armed groups moreover affected the population, despite the 3 Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham is an umbrella coalition of extremist factions led by the terrorist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra). 7