Displaced families depart al-Arisha camp for Deir ez-Zor
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – A group of displaced families departed on Tuesday the al-Arisha camp, located south of Hasakah, and returned to their home areas in Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, marking the third wave of returns from the camp since the beginning of the year.
This return is part of a voluntary repatriation initiative launched by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), following a decision made on Nov. 23, 2023.
The program aims to support internally displaced persons (IDPs) wishing to return to their areas of origin.
According to camp officials, Tuesday’s group included 10 families comprising a total of 88 individuals. Additional return movements are expected in the coming days.
Earlier this year, around 150 families—nearly 1,000 individuals—from Deir ez-Zor had already left the camp to resettle in their home communities. Despite these returns, approximately 14,000 people remain in al-Arisha camp.
On Feb. 11, another group of 58 families, totaling 305 people from the western bank of the Euphrates River, also left the camp under the same initiative.
The ongoing returns are part of broader efforts to ease the humanitarian burden on displacement camps and support community reintegration in areas deemed safe for returnees.