Beirut: As the Syrian crisis enters its ninth year, civilians continue to bear the heavy consequences, while life-threatening needs keep growing. Over the past year, Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s government—backed by Russia —has made territorial gains against rebels and IS militants, recapturing massive areas in southern, central and northern Syria, as well as close to Damascus.
The Kurdish-led rebels control eastern and north-eastern Syria after defeating IS militants there, while the northern Idlib province is largely controlled by the Al Qaeda-affiliated Hayat Tahrir al Sham coalition.
The United States leads an international coalition fighting IS in Syria. But Washington plans to withdraw its forces, raising fears about the fate of its allied Kurdish fighters, who are viewed by Turkey as an extension of outlawed insurgents within its own borders.
Despite the uncertainty on the ground, some of the 5.6 million Syrians who have left the country say they are thinking of returning home, especially to areas that are now experiencing stability under Assad’s control.
But many of them are asking for United Nations protection, as they are afraid of persecution by the Syrian government. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), concerns among those wanting to go home centre on housing; legal issues such as missing documents and property deeds; the availability of livelihoods; and access to healthcare and schools.
UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi, who visited Syria and Lebanon over the weekend, called for a bigger presence of international organizations inside Syria to observe and assist refugees returning from abroad.
The agency says that more than 56,000 refugees returned to Syria from neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan in 2018.
According to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, some 13.1 million people require humanitarian assistance in Syria, including close to 3 million trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, where they are exposed to grave security threats.
Many of the refugees inside Syria have been displaced multiple times, with children and young people accounting for more than half of the displaced. Ongoing fighting between the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces against IS in their last stronghold in eastern Syria has also added to the refugee crisis in recent weeks. — dpa
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