Launch of a voluntary return convoy comprising 229 families from Idlib to seven provinces

A new voluntary return convoy comprising 229 families departed today, Thursday, from the city of Idlib, heading to their original villages and towns in seven Syrian provinces: Idlib, Hama, Homs, Deir Ezzor, Damascus, Damascus countryside, and Daraa. This step comes within the framework of efforts aimed at facilitating the return of displaced persons to their original areas and securing their initial stability requirements.

The convoy was organized in cooperation between the Idlib Governorate, the Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor in the governorate, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mazen Organization, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and the Emergency and Disaster Management Directorate. Muhammad Baker, head of the Northern District of Social Affairs and Labor in Idlib, clarified that the number of voluntary return convoys organized so far has risen to approximately 35 convoys, while the total number of returning families has exceeded six thousand.

Baker added that registration for return convoys continues as long as there are families wishing to voluntarily return to their areas, noting that the Syrian Arab Red Crescent provided non-food items to returning families, while the Banafsaj Organization provided food baskets in support of returnees. For his part, citizen Abdul Moneim Al-Dibaa, one of the returnees, expressed mixed feelings of joy and sadness, noting that the kind treatment received by displaced persons during the years of displacement alleviated their suffering of exile.

For his part, citizen Hatem Maqsous, who had been residing in Al-Qalaa camp in Kafr Lusin, stated that he registered for the convoy to return to his town after approximately seven years of displacement, pointing out that camp conditions have become difficult due to water shortages and deteriorating living conditions. The Idlib Governorate had previously organized a voluntary return convoy on October 25, comprising 220 families from displacement camps in the northern part of the governorate to seven provinces. Additionally, a convoy comprising 32 families from the Azaz area camps in northern Aleppo countryside departed earlier today towards their original areas.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)