BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 8 (UPI) — More than 3 million Syrians, who sought refuge abroad or were displaced internally during the war have returned to their country and areas of origin since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s dictatorship last year, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency, or UNHCR.
The U.N. agency, however, warned in a statement Monday marking the first anniversary of Assad’s ouster that the country needs substantial international support to help more displaced people go back and ensure stability.
It said the fall of the Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024, opened “an extraordinary window” of hope for peace and stability in Syria, paving the way for an “historic return” of more than 3 million displaced people.
They include 1.2 million Syrians who have voluntarily returned from neighboring countries and more than 1.9 million internally displaced people who have gone back to their areas of origin, while many more have expressed a desire to return, the statement said.
It counted the return of at least 560,000 Syrians from Turkey, 379,000 from Lebanon, 170,000 from Jordan and 28,000 from Egypt.
The agency said their return was “a critical step in Syria’s healing process,” and crucial to end years of suffering.
It described forced displacement as among “the deep wounds” inflicted by the 14-year bloody conflict, with more than 14 million Syrians forced to flee their homes in search of safety since 2011. While 6 million of them sought refuge in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq or abroad, some 7.4 million were internally displaced.
“This is a once-in-a-generation chance to help end one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said, warning that “this window of hope will close” without urgent global backing.
Grandi said the Syrians are ready to rebuild their country, and he asked whether “the world is ready to help them do it.”
UNHCR has been supporting the voluntary return of the displaced from neighboring countries by providing cash assistance, transportation and counselling on civil documentation required to facilitate reintegration.
It warned that millions of people could face inadequate shelter and basic services this winter, after its $1.5 billion 2025 appeal for Syria received just 33% of the requested funding.
Some 4.5 million Syrian refugees, who continue to live below the poverty line in neighboring countries, and their host states need continued support and increased urgent funding for recovery, reconstruction and humanitarian aid.
“This can maintain stability and prevent unsafe and unsustainable returns,” the statement said, emphasizing that refugees should not be forced to return while Syria still faces “immense challenges” and the security situation in certain areas “remains fluid.”
It explained that entire neighborhoods, including schools and hospitals, remain in ruins, and that electricity, clean water and health care remain patchy while local markets are short of supplies.
In addition, many returnees lack civil documents, hindering access to property rights and essential services, while 577 people have been killed by unexploded ordnance since the beginning of the year.
According to the statement, the Syrian government holds the primary responsibility to create a secure, rights-based environment and facilitate voluntary returns
“In this new Syria, we must see only voluntary returns, not new displacements,” it said.
