After years in exile, organic farmers Bilal and Assia Abu Saleh returned home to a looted house and parched land that will be a challenge to cultivate. Yet they have a clear goal: to rebuild Syria for their children and lead it toward food sovereignty.
While Damascus hails the emptying of Assad regime prisons, detainees arrested for opposing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) continue to languish in Idlib prisons.
Hundreds of former public sector employees in Idlib, arbitrarily dismissed from their positions by the Assad regime, are still waiting for progress towards reinstatement.
Iron salvage is a common form of survival work in northern Syria, a way of eking life out of destroyed buildings—an all-too-plentiful resource. It is also a largely unregulated and hazardous sector, posing risks to workers and consumers alike.
As displaced people return to destroyed communities in southern Idlib, local initiatives are emerging as stopgap solutions for basic repairs and services, stepping into some roles that are the responsibility of Syria’s new administration.
Aid cuts have deepened a water and sanitation crisis impacting hundreds of internal displacement camps in northwestern Syria, where humanitarian organizations have long provided essential services.
Umm Muhammad prepares an iftar meal for her children in Kafr Nubl, the southern Idlib town she and her husband returned to after the Assad regime fell. Many families—including her children—have not returned due to extensive destruction and poor services.
As some services decline and prices rise in Idlib, residents fear shifting priorities could see the province return to its pre-2011 marginalization.
Business is booming in post-Assad Idlib, as travel offices across Syria organize daily “shopping trips” for curious visitors seeking diverse goods at low prices. Meanwhile, increased demand means higher costs for locals.
Property loss is among the most prominent repercussions of Syria’s 13-year conflict. Women are particularly affected, and face additional challenges to regaining their rights.
