A UN refugee agency official said on Tuesday that some one million Syrian refugees are expected to return to the country in the first six months of 2025, asking states to refrain from forcing them to do so.
A lightning advance opposition swept Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad from power this month, shocking the world and raising the possibility that some of the millions of people who fled the country during its 13-year civil war might return.
“Now we have forecasted that we hope to see somewhere in the order of one million Syrians returning between January and June next year so we shared this plan with donors, asking for their support,” said Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“We have massive humanitarian needs on a scale that hasn’t in any way diminished,” she added, noting that one million people have been internally displaced since the opposition began.
In the immediate aftermath of the opposition seizing power, thousands of people fled Syria, while thousands had also returned to the country mostly from Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, Imseis said.
She added that some of those fleeing could be linked to the former government or else be religious minorities with concerns about their standing under the new authorities, led by the “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (HTS) group which once had ties to al- Qaeda.
Countries should be patient as Syrian refugees consider whether to return, she added.
“It’s important to maintain that protection for Syrians who have already found refuge in host countries, and that they are not forcibly returning to Syria,” she said.
Asked about some countries’ decisions to freeze asylum applications for Syrians, she said: “We have been very clear in the non advisory returns to all countries. “It is just far too soon to make this determination on the safety and stability of Syria and there are many questions that need to be answered.”
Agencies
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