A convoy carrying 263 families left displacement camps in northern Syria on Sunday for their home areas in southern Idlib and parts of Hama, Aleppo and Damascus provinces, as well as Damascus city.
The return was coordinated by Idlib Governorate and its Social Affairs and Labor Directorate, with support from the UN refugee agency, the Muzn Organization, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the Emergency and Disaster Management Directorate.
Mohammad Bakir, director of the northern district office of social affairs and labor in Idlib, said most families were heading to towns and villages in southern Idlib. He said the convoy was organized under Presidential Decree No. 59.
Manaf Hammam, an official coordinating camps in Aleppo and Idlib, said the convoy responded to families’ requests to return voluntarily. Air-conditioned buses were provided for passengers and trucks for their belongings, he said. Registration remains open, and further convoys are planned.
Returnees said they were glad to go home after years of displacement, although some villages remain damaged and lack basic services. Mahmoud Ibrahim al-Muhaimid, from al-Nahl village in rural Idlib, said financial difficulties had delayed his return. Rakez al-Jadaan, from the eastern Maarat al-Numan countryside, said he was returning after 14 years of displacement.
Idlib Governorate has organized several such convoys since the decree was issued, carrying thousands of families from camps in Idlib and Aleppo to their home areas.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.