Following the fall of the Syrian regime, over 25,000 Syrians residing in Turkey have returned to their homeland, a significant increase compared to the average returnee numbers since 2017, as announced by Turkish Interior Minister Yerlikaya. According to the UNHCR, most of these individuals lived in Istanbul, Gaziantep, and Hatay and returned to Syrian cities such as Aleppo, Idlib, and Latakia.
Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, six million Syrians have fled abroad, primarily to neighboring countries. Turkey hosts over three million Syrians, the largest group of refugees.
Lebanon houses the second-largest group in the region, followed by Jordan and Iraq. In Europe, Germany has taken in the largest number of Syrians.
From Jordan, nearly 13,000 Syrians have returned since the fall of the Syrian regime on December 8, according to the UNHCR, which estimates that at least 51,000 people have returned to Syria from surrounding countries. While there is a rising trend in returns, the UNHCR observes that relatively few are returning and notes that many Syrians wish to return but are waiting for political stability in their homeland.
In Turkey, Syrians have long faced anti-Syrian sentiments and have been targeted due to dissatisfaction with the economic situation and high inflation. Both the government and opposition prefer the departure of Syrians, with President Erdogan previously proposing the return of two million Syrians to ‘safe zones’ in northern Syria.
Source: NOS