Syrian displaced persons return initiatives

Efforts to facilitate the voluntary return of displaced persons in Syria have continued through organized convoys. In Sere Kaniye, a third convoy consisting of approximately 3,242 individuals from the Washokani camp and Hasakah shelter centers departed for the city’s southern countryside. To assist with stabilization, returning families receive a $2,000 financial grant. However, the process faces obstacles such as landmines, security issues, and the presence of Turkish military bases, which have hindered some Kurdish families from reaching their original villages.

In a separate initiative, a convoy transported 220 families from displacement camps in northern Idlib to original homes across eight provinces, including Idlib, Hama, Homs, Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Latakia, Damascus, and Rif Dimashq. This movement is supported by the Idlib Governorate, the UNHCR, and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, among other organizations. Assistance provided to these families included bedding, non-food items, and food baskets, marking the first time food baskets have been included in such convoys under the ‘Syria Without Camps’ vision.

Recent operations have expanded this movement, with a new wave of voluntary returns involving a convoy of 229 families departing from Idlib toward the Idlib, Hama, Homs, Deir ez-Zor, Damascus, Rif Dimashq, and Daraa governorates. Additionally, 32 families from the Azaz region in the northern Aleppo countryside have departed for their home areas. These efforts, coordinated by entities including the Idlib Governorate, the Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor, the UNHCR, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and the Muzn organization, have now seen approximately 35 convoys organized, involving more than 6,000 families.