Skip to main content

UN reports massive return of Syrian refugees following regime collapse

1 min Mena Today

More than one million people, including 800,000 internally displaced individuals and 280,000 refugees, have returned to their homes in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the United Nations (UN) announced on Tuesday.

The border between Turkey and Syria © Mena Today 

The border between Turkey and Syria © Mena Today 

More than one million people, including 800,000 internally displaced individuals and 280,000 refugees, have returned to their homes in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the United Nations (UN) announced on Tuesday.

"Since the fall of the regime in Syria, we estimate that 280,000 Syrian refugees and more than 800,000 internally displaced persons have returned home," said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in a statement on social media platform X.

However, Grandi warned that initial efforts to help Syria rebuild must be bolder and faster, or people may flee again. "It is now urgent!" he emphasized.

In late January, Grandi had already urged the international community to support Syria’s reconstruction to facilitate the return of millions of displaced people.

"Lift the sanctions, encourage reconstruction. It must be done now, at the beginning of the transition. We are losing time," he stated at a press conference in Ankara following his visits to Syria and Lebanon, before heading to Jordan.

The Syrian government collapsed on December 8, 2024, when a rebel coalition led by the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took control of Damascus, ousting Bashar al-Assad.

In response to the new political landscape, a coalition of twenty Arab and Western countries met in Paris on February 13 and pledged to support Syria’s reconstruction while safeguarding its fragile transition from security threats and foreign interference.

Syria has endured 14 years of brutal conflict, leaving over 500,000 people dead and displacing more than 10 million internally and across borders.

With growing international pressure to stabilize and rebuild the country, the coming months will be crucial in determining whether Syria can recover or if it will face further turmoil and displacement.

Related

Syria

Exclusive-UN report sees no active Syrian state links to Al Qaeda

United Nations sanctions monitors have seen no "active ties" this year between Al Qaeda and the Islamist group leading Syria's interim government, an unpublished U.N. report said, a finding that could strengthen an expected U.S. push for removing U.N. sanctions on Syria.

United Arab Emirates

Armenia and Azerbaijan hold substantive talks, no big breakthrough

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan held substantive talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, their governments said, in what amounted to the most serious direct negotiations yet in a fitful process to end almost four decades of conflict.

Iran

Iran urges UN nuclear watchdog to drop 'double standards'

Iran's president said on Thursday the U.N. nuclear watchdog should drop its "double standards" if Tehran is to resume cooperation with it over the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme, Iranian state media reported.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.