UNHCR: Half a million Syrians Return home and need support

Domestic Newsfeature

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that the number of Syrians returning to the country since the fall of the former regime has exceeded half a million, at a rate of 100,000 returnees per month.

UNHCR emphasized that the challenges they and the country as a whole face are still immense.

Lujain Hassan, a protection officer with the UNHCR office in Syria, said on the UNHCR website: The number of returnees to Syria is approaching 500,000,” explaining that these people “are starting their lives from scratch and are in dire need of our support to reintegrate into their communities.

However, the main and fundamental challenge lies in the lack of funding.

Hassan noted that the overwhelming feeling she feels when speaking to families returning after many years is one of optimism despite the many challenges.

She added: When you meet the returnees, you see hope in their eyes. They want to rebuild not just their homes, but the entire country. It’s truly time to invest and support these people to build a new life.

The UNHCR clarified on its website that its capacity to assist all those in need is limited due to the sharp reduction in humanitarian funding, which threatens the pace of recovery and stability.

The number of Syrians returning from neighboring countries has exceeded 500,000, in addition to nearly 1.2 million internally displaced persons who have returned to their homes over the past five months.

UNHCR is working in cooperation with the Syrian authorities and other partners to assist Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons returning to their areas of origin to rehabilitate and repair damaged homes, provide legal support to replace lost identity documents and property, and implement initiatives to help them work and earn a living.

Raghda Sawas

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