UN Syria envoy De Mistura to step down at end of November after 4 years in role

United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told the Security Council on Wednesday that he plans to step down at the end of November after more than four years in the role. The diplomat cited personal reasons for his decision, Reuters reports. He is the third person to hold the job during more than seven years of Syrian conflict. His predecessors – former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi – both quit frustrated by global deadlock over how to end the Syrian war.