ceasefire/cessar-fogo

Ceasefire

Literally a ceasefire means a time when gunfire stops.

This is Newswords, from the BBC. In this series we look at the meaning of words you might often hear in the news. We’ve asked BBC journalist Clare Arthurs to help us explain each word, and give us some examples of how it might be used.

Today’s word is ‘ceasefire’.
Ceasefire is made up of two words. To cease means to stop. Fire in this context means the firing of guns. So literally a ceasefire means a time when gunfire stops. However, when you hear the word used in the news it may imply something much more complicated and formal.
Listen out for the following words in the report, we’ll look at their meaning later, negotiation, conditions, a ploy.
Newswords from the BBC, Clare Arthurs looks at ‘ceasefire’.
With so much reporting in the news on wars and fighting, it's inevitable that you'll also hear words for when the fighting stops. Here are some you may know. Treaty or truce, negotiation, conflict prevention, warring parties.
When the guns become silent or the firing of guns stops, you'll hear about a ceasefire. It's an imperative, an order to stop or cease fighting. But in the news, we also use it as a noun, a ceasefire agreement or just simply, a ceasefire.

When it's announced, or declared, it will be described as a formal or full ceasefire.
Listen to this example:
Since a temporary ceasefire ended last month, the rebels have increased their attacks against villages and army positions.
A temporary ceasefire, not a full one. If it applies to just a region or a zone, or some of the warring parties but not all, it will be a partial ceasefire or unilateral; meaning, one party.
A truce, or agreement to stop fighting, follows talks or negotiations.
When a party to the agreement or ceasefire breaks that agreement, it's described as a breach.

Listen to this:
Peace monitors in Sri Lanka say a three-year ceasefire between the government and rebels is under pressure, due to a recent wave of killings.
Here's an example where the ceasefire is part of a wider agreement.
Israel has dismissed the ceasefire as a ploy for the militants to regroup and plan more attacks. It is almost certain to reject the long list of conditions attached to the ceasefire.
A ceasefire is sometimes followed by disarmament, when rebels agree to give up their weapons, they are handed-in or decommissioned.

So a ceasefire basically means an agreement between two warring sides to stop fighting, either temporarily or permanently. Other words which mean more or less the same thing are treaty and truce.
Let’s look now at some of the other words we heard in the report. Firstly, negotiation. Negotiation is a process in which two warring sides discuss how they may be able to come to an agreement to stop fighting. This may involve both sides having to agree to do something the other side wants. Negotiations may also involve a neutral third party, such as United Nations representatives.
Conditions is a word which in this context means what one or both sides wants to happen before they will agree to a ceasefire. Often these are thought to be too unreasonable, and the other side will not agree.
We heard in one example that one side saw a ceasefire as a ploy on the part of the other side. A ploy means a trick, in this case, a way to stop the fighting temporarily, only in order to give them some time to plan more attacks and further fighting.

 Breach  : When a party to the agreement or ceasefire breaks that agreement, it's described as a breach.
Negotiation : Negotiation is a process in which two warring sides discuss how they may be able to come to an agreement to stop fighting. 

Source :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/indonesia/bahasa_inggris/2010/06/100625_ebyr_newswords07.shtml