Turkey plans to build 250,000 concrete housing units in northern Syria as it eyes the “voluntary return” of one million refugees. But more than housing stands in the way of returns.
“They hit us, they are the ones that drowned us, I hold them accountable,” said Ahmad Sabsabi, who lost his wife and three children after a Lebanese navy boat collided with their migrant vessel on April 23.
Last month, Turkey’s highest court ruled against Syrians who objected to their deportation. In this Op-Ed, lawyer Ghazwan Koronfol asks: Is the judiciary paving the way for “voluntary return”?
As Ramadan draws to a close and Eid al-Fitr approaches, Syrian refugees in Europe seek community and renew traditions while missing the atmosphere and flavors of holidays past.
This month, amid domestic political concerns and rising xenophobia, Turkey canceled its longstanding practice of allowing refugees to make temporary visits to Syria for Eid—a worrying sign of things to come.
In Turkey, residency restrictions for Syrian refugees are one factor driving children out of classrooms and into factories.
Syrian families, some separated for a decade by closed borders, are reuniting in Jordan after measures were introduced in October 2021 allowing Syrians to enter for “tourism.”
In Libyan prisons and detention centers, thousands of people—including hundreds of Syrians—face abuse and extortion after being caught trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
Last month, thousands of Syrians in Turkey received messages that their temporary protection cards were “canceled” pending verification of their addresses. The situation has many unsure of their futures in Turkey.
With vital smuggling routes cut off by Damascus, residents of southern Syria’s Rukban camp are facing the latest in a long line of humanitarian crises, with no help in sight.
