UN refugee chief calls for more help for Syria as refugees begin to return en masse
UN refugee chief calls for more help for Syria as refugees begin to return en masse
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The United Nations refugee chief said Saturday that some 200,000 refugees have returned to Syria from neighboring countries since the government of Bashar Assad was overthrown last month. The influx comes after an estimated 300,000 refugees returned from Lebanon late last year while it was under bombardment during the Israel-Hezbollah war.
Many more who had fled during the country's nearly 14-year uprising-turned-civil war are thinking about going back soon. However, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi cautioned during a visit to Damascus during which he met with Syria's new de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, that many of the returnees may not stay unless living conditions in the country improve.
“In order to make this return sustainable and to make life better for all Syrians the economy needs to return, services need to be restored and reinstated, security needs to be guaranteed and housing needs to be the subject of a very important reconstruction program,” Grandi said.
He called for the lifting of Western sanctions on the country, many of which targeted Assad's government but have not been removed since it fell on Dec. 8 as the result of a lightning rebel offensive. “Sanctions are an important obstacle for the return of refugees,” Grandi said.
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