Thousands of Syrians Returning from Turkey May Never Go Back
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Two weeks after the deadly Feb. 6 earthquake, thousands of Syrian refugees in Turkey are lining up to return to Syria. Recently, Turkey has eased border-crossing regulations for Syrian Temporary Protection Identities (Kimlik) holders from any of the quake-stricken provinces.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of Syrians have been waiting to cross the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, which connects Turkey to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-controlled (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front) Idlib. Two additional border crossings into Turkish-occupied Syria – Bab al-Salameh and Bab al-Rai – were opened last week.
A local official told the New York Times that as many as 3.000 Syrians are crossing through Bab al-Hawa every day. Since regulations were eased four days ago, at least 10.633 Syrians have returned to their country, the Turkish government announced on Feb. 19.
The new law, passed in the wake of the Feb. 6 earthquake, allows Syrians holding “Kimlik” from one of the ten quake-hit Turkish provinces to return to their country for three to six months. Until recently, the government had followed a populist policy of expelling Syrian refugees and barring their re-entry into Turkey. 50.000 Syrians were returned from Turkey in 2022 alone. Accusations that Turkish authorities are forcefully expelling them abound.
Conditions in HTS-held Idlib and Turkish-occupied northwest Syria are hardly better than in Turkey. A 12-year-long war has destroyed buildings and infrastructure; the country is going through a currency crisis. Some towns, like Jindires in the Afrin region, have been laid to waste by the earthquake. Aid was short to arrive at first, and much of it is now being rejected by the local authorities, that demand relief supplies by ferried in from Turkey only.
The Syrians crossing the border after the earthquake are not convinced of Turkey’s assurances. Many have made a life in Turkey for over a decade. Turkey hosts 3.7 million Syrians; over half live in the 10 quake-affected provinces close to the Syrian border. In the homestretch before general and presidential elections this year, the Turkish government and opposition parties have entered a race to the bottom, promising to expel ever-growing numbers of Syrians. Many refugees have ample reason to doubt that the government will make good on its promises.
Yet most Syrians have no choice but to return. Many of their homes have been destroyed, emergency shelters are overflowing, and rents elsewhere in Turkey have skyrocketed. Many Syrians also have dead relatives to enter; at least 1.528 bodies have already been returned to Syria. “We have no other choice but to go to Syria,” a man in the queue at Bab al-Hawa told the New York Times, “but of course there is a fear that Turkey won’t allow us to return. We can’t guarantee it.”