‘Don’t Come Back, We Want to Leave,’ Syrians Advise Returning Refugees

A portrait of president Bashar al-Assad stands in Damascus on May 3, 2021. (AFP)
A portrait of president Bashar al-Assad stands in Damascus on May 3, 2021. (AFP)
TT

‘Don’t Come Back, We Want to Leave,’ Syrians Advise Returning Refugees

A portrait of president Bashar al-Assad stands in Damascus on May 3, 2021. (AFP)
A portrait of president Bashar al-Assad stands in Damascus on May 3, 2021. (AFP)

“Don’t come back, we want to leave,” is the advice Syrians residing in their home country offer to refugees abroad.

A report by the Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity (SACD) found that more and more people were seeking to leave regions held by the regime.

The 83-page report includes the results of 533 interviews held with Syrians residing in those regions. “A large number of Syrians feel unsafe, with the perception of safety heavily tied to the area’s perceived threat to the regime,” said the report.

“People forced to return to regime control from displacement or through ‘reconciliation’ do not feel safe, with significantly higher levels of fear in their daily lives.”

“Their feeling of insecurity is being informed by events that were directly witnessed or experienced. Some 50% of people in the [president Bashar] Assad-controlled areas don’t feel safe, including those who never left; 67% of returnees from outside Syria don’t feel safe, and those in the reconciliation areas fear worst with 94% saying they don’t feel safe. Most cite the security authorities’ grip and fear of rampant insecurity and crime as their reasons for feeling safe.”

“That said, there are no safe areas, with some of the more practical measures of safety showing that security is poor everywhere, because it’s due to security policies by the same authority,” noted the report.

“The reconciliation areas present the worse deterioration in the sense of insecurity amongst survey respondents,” it found. “While 74 percent of participants in the SACD’s 2019 survey reported not feeling safe in their areas, this figure increased to 94 percent in the 2020 survey.”

“Surprisingly, the same trend was observed in areas controlled by the regime since 2011, where perceptions of insecurity jumped from 39 percent in 2019 to 51 percent in 2020. These numbers clearly indicate that the reconciliation areas have failed to provide security to citizens, and that the regime’s security policies and general practices are weakening the sense of security amongst Syrians,” it added.

“The intention to leave regime-controlled areas specifically in reconciliation areas and areas controlled since 2011 has noticeably increased. In the case of reconciliation areas, 48 percent of survey participants in 2019 had the intention of leaving regime-controlled areas, while the percentage increased to 68 percent in 2020. In areas controlled by the regime since 2011, the percentage went up from 23 percent in 2019 to 47 percent in 2020.”

“These numbers are in line with those detailed in a March 2021 Norwegian Refugee Council report, which predicted that Syria will experience the displacement of another 6 million refugees in the next decade if the conflict continues.”

SACD member Houda Atassi said the establishment of a secure environment for all Syrians should be a main issue in the political process.

SACD trustee Fadi Nezhat said regime and Russian guarantees mean nothing on the ground, as arrest campaigns and forced disappearances of people are still rampant.



Cyprus Offers to Assist on Lebanon Ceasefire as More Nations Welcome Agreement

 Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)
Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)
TT

Cyprus Offers to Assist on Lebanon Ceasefire as More Nations Welcome Agreement

 Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)
Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)

Cyprus is willing to assist in any way possible in helping implement a ceasefire brokered between Lebanon and Israel, its government said on Wednesday.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides spoke by phone with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Wednesday, a statement from the government spokesperson's office said.

"(Christodoulides) expressed the readiness of the Republic of Cyprus to assist in any way requested - taking into account Cyprus's proximity as an EU member state closest to the region and its excellent relations with all parties - both in implementing the ceasefire and any other request," the government spokesperson said in a statement.

Egypt welcomed the ceasefire, the foreign ministry said in a statement, while Jordan said the deal should prompt greater international efforts to bring an end to the war in Gaza.

In an official statement, the kingdom said the move was also a first step towards reversing a dangerous escalation of tensions across the region that had threatened peace and security.

Türkiye welcomed the ceasefire, hoping the truce will be lasting, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, calling on the international community to pressure Israel into fully implementing it.

"It is imperative for the international community to exert pressure on Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire and to provide reparations for the damages it has caused in Lebanon," the ministry said in a statement, adding Türkiye was ready to support peace efforts in Lebanon.

It added that a ceasefire must also be declared in Gaza as soon as possible for lasting regional peace and stability.