Over half a million refugees returned to Syria since December – UNHCR
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Sunday that more than half a million Syrian refugees returned to their homeland since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
This brings up the total of over 833,800 Syrian individuals that have returned to Syria since the beginning of 2024, according to the UNHCR.
In a report, the UNHCR said that as of May 1, some 472,963 Syrian refugees returned to their homeland from the neighboring countries. However, the agency warned that ongoing instability and sharp funding cuts pose significant challenges to sustainable reintegration efforts.
“Deep funding cuts are removing critical support for the world’s most vulnerable refugees, who now face even greater risks of abuse, poverty, being forced to return home to danger or the prospect of new perilous journeys,” Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR’s Director of International Protection, stated on May 2.
“In Syria, over half a million refugees have returned despite ongoing instability, but their sustainable reintegration depends on better funding,” Tan said. “Support for 20,000 Syrians a month to return home from Türkiye has been affected by cuts.”