Over a million Syrians have returned back to their home country since the fall of Assad [Getty]
Over 1.2 million Syrians have voluntarily returned home since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, following a rebel offensive.
Data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees states that improved living conditions in the country, better security, and more facilities available at border crossings mean that people continue to return to Syria.
Mazen Alloush, director of relations at the General Authority for Ports and Customs in Syria, told The New Arab that 1,211,000 people have returned to Syria from December 2024 until April 2026.
Alloush added that around 715,000 of those returnees were based in Turkey, and 120,000 people in Lebanon returned to Syria since the start of this year.
The ouster of Assad put an end to the repressive Ba’athist regime, which lasted 54 years, and a 14-year-long war, resulting in one of the world’s biggest migration crises.
The brutal persecution of civilians and opposition groups under Assad resulted in around a third of the country, or 6.8 million people, fleeing.
Over the last year, Syrian authorities under the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, have been working to simplify procedures at border crossings to facilitate the return of people.
According to Alloush, these efforts include ensuring there is medical help available at crossings to treat people who need assistance, as well as providing transport to move people and their belongings and exempting people from duties for their luggage.
Fatima al-Ahmed, a Syrian woman who fled to Turkey in 2013, returned to Homs earlier this year, and was surprised at the changes in the country.
“After around five months of my return, life has become easier than before, and there is an improvement in several services,” she told The New Arab, while noting that people still face challenges such as rebuilding their homes.
Others remain reluctant to return to Syria.
“The desire to return to Syria is there, but it is contingent on securing work and housing, things which are essential for stability,” Amer Talawi, who has been based in Germany since 2016 told The New Arab.
“There are some things in Syria that are discouraging me from returning at the moment, especially compared to life in Germany,” he added.
