Arab League suspends Syria mission

The Arab League suspended its monitoring mission in Syria with immediate effect on Saturday due to the latest upsurge in violence.

Its observers will remain in the country but they will stop work temporarily.

Syria was suspended from the League by its 21 other members in November.

They sent monitors the following month to check whether President Bashar Assad was honouring his pledge to stop the bloodshed.

Syrian opposition groups say the observers do not have enough powers.

Activists say that 135 people have been killed in the past two days.

The movement of foreign journalists is heavily restricted in Syria and euronews has been unable to independently verify those claims.

According to the United Nations, more than 5,000 people have died since protests began in March.

President Assad inherited power from his father in 2000. His family has ruled Syria for more than four decades.

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