Arab League foreign ministers are meeting Sunday to review the work of their observer mission to Syria, which has failed to put an end to a deadly 10-month government crackdown on civilian protesters.

The ministers gather in Cairo one day after clashes reportedly killed at least 21 people throughout Syria, and two days after a bomb attack killed 26 others in the capital, Damascus. Opposition activists also blame the government for killing 17 civilians in clashes with protesters Friday.

The ministers are expected to discuss whether to ask the United Nations to help their mission since there has been no slackening in the violence since the monitors arrived in Syria two weeks ago.

A global, online activist group that supports “people-power” movements worldwide, Avaaz, says nearly 7,000 people were killed since March 2011, when the Syrian unrest began. Avaaz says its casualty count was confirmed through contacts with multiple sources in Syria.

The United Nations estimates 5,000 people have been killed in Syria, while the Damascus government accuses armed terrorists of driving the revolt and killing 2,000 security personnel.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has pledged to withdraw security forces from cities, release political prisoners and allow anti-government protests. Government reports of mass prisoner releases have not been verified, in part because almost all foreign journalists are barred from access to the country.