What's happened
Since December 2024, nearly 2 million Syrians have returned home, including refugees from Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. Despite progress, many face ongoing challenges due to destruction and limited infrastructure. International aid cuts threaten recovery efforts amid a fragile peace process.
What's behind the headline?
The surge in Syrian returns reflects a complex mix of political change and economic desperation. While the government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa promotes a narrative of peace and reconstruction, the reality on the ground remains dire. Many returnees face inadequate access to healthcare, education, and employment, compounded by ongoing security risks and unexploded ordnance. International aid, which is crucial for rebuilding, is sharply underfunded—only 29% of the $3.19 billion humanitarian response is secured—raising fears that recovery efforts will stall. European countries' tightening asylum policies and aid cuts are likely to exacerbate the situation, leaving many Syrians in limbo. The international community's support will determine whether these returns lead to sustainable peace or a cycle of displacement and instability. The focus must shift from mere repatriation to comprehensive reconstruction and security, or the risk of reversals and renewed instability will grow.
What the papers say
The New Arab reports a significant increase in returnees, with nearly 1.8 million Syrians having gone back since December 2024, supported by regional governments and UNHCR. The agency highlights ongoing challenges, including infrastructure damage and limited access to services. Reuters emphasizes the risks of aid cuts, noting that only 58% of hospitals are fully functional and that unexploded ordnance remains a major obstacle. The New Arab also details the voluntary return program from Lebanon, with over 378,000 refugees returning since late 2024, amid economic and political instability. Meanwhile, The New Arab and Reuters discuss the broader context of declining international aid, with European countries tightening asylum policies and reducing contributions, which threaten the sustainability of recovery efforts. The articles collectively underscore the fragile nature of Syria’s post-conflict recovery and the critical need for sustained international support.
How we got here
The civil war in Syria, which began in 2011, displaced over 6 million people internally and abroad. The overthrow of Assad's regime in December 2024 has prompted a wave of voluntary returns, supported by UNHCR and regional governments. However, the country remains heavily damaged, with infrastructure and services still fragile, and aid funding declining as the conflict shifts from emergency to recovery phase.
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Common question
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Why Are Syrian Refugees Returning Home Now?
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The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration
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Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lies west across the Mediterranean Sea.
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Bashar Hafez al-Assad is a Syrian politician who has been the President of Syria since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and Regional Secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party's branch in Syria.
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Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
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Filippo Grandi is a diplomat and United Nations official of Italy, current United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
He previously served as Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East an