Deep Dive
Why did Syrian refugees start returning home?
The regime of President Bashar al-Assad crumbled, leading to rebel groups taking control of Damascus and Assad fleeing to Russia. This sudden change prompted displaced Syrians to return, hoping for a new, democratic Syria.
How long have some Syrian refugees been displaced?
Some Syrian refugees have been displaced for over a decade, since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
What challenges do returning Syrians face?
Returning Syrians face an uncertain future, including the need to rebuild a country still contested by various armed groups. They also hope to establish a democratic state where they can speak freely without fear, despite the sectarianism and violence seen in other revolutions.
Which rebel group took control of Damascus?
The rebel group that took control of Damascus is called HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), led by Abu Mohammed al-Jilani.
How many Syrians were displaced by the civil war?
The civil war displaced approximately 6 million Syrians, creating one of the worst refugee crises of this century.
Where did most displaced Syrians seek refuge?
Most displaced Syrians sought refuge in neighboring countries like Turkey and Lebanon, with over 3 million in Turkey and more than 1 million in Lebanon.
What promises have the new Syrian rulers made?
The new rulers, HTS, have promised democratic reforms and have stated they will not force women to dress in a more conservative fashion. However, it remains to be seen if these promises will materialize.
What symbolic actions did returning Syrians take?
Some returning Syrians took symbolic actions, such as driving into Syria with falcons, commemorating the Shaheen drones used by the rebels to battle Assad's forces.
Shownotes Transcript
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You're listening to State of the World from NPR, the day's most vital international stories up close where they're happening. It's Monday, December 9th. I'm Greg Dixon. In a shockingly rapid series of events, the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad crumbled over the weekend. Rebel groups took control of the capital Damascus and Assad fled to Russia. Since 2011, when Arab Spring protests in Syria first challenged Assad's power, Syria has been in turmoil.
Protesters were violently repressed, and Syria eventually spiraled into a civil war in which hundreds of thousands died. Then, in a matter of days, Assad's government fell. Now the rebel groups are negotiating with what is left of the regime they overthrew. And displaced Syrians, some of whom have been out of the country for more than a decade, are returning home.
NPR's Emily Feng is in Lebanon, next door to Syria, following events. She spoke to Juana Summers about the situation. Emily, if you could just start by telling us a bit more about how the transition of power in Syria is going. Well, it's going tentatively. Overnight, the head of one of the rebel groups met with the Syrian regime's prime minister in Damascus. This is Syria's capital. And this rebel commander, Abu Mohammed al-Jilani, he is headed one of the main fighting groups called HTS for short.
And they're the group that's made these head-spinningly fast territorial gains against government forces these past two weeks.
They have to figure out who is going to take power and how. So far, a senior HDS officer is going to lead this transition. But it's important to remember, HDS is not the only ones who want a seat at the table. There are numerous armed factions, each controlling different parts of Syria. They have competing interests and different backers. And they all want a slice of power. Right. So has this rebel group indicated how they want to govern Syria?
Not quite yet. They are an Islamist group whose leader is considered a terrorist in the U.S. Their roots are in al-Qaeda as well, though they say they broke with the group in 2016. And today, HDS said they would not force women to dress in a more conservative Islamist fashion. They've also said they want democratic reforms in Syria, but it's just too soon to say whether their promises are going to materialize.
This uncertainty, however, is not stopping displaced Syrians from around the world from rushing to return to Syria. These long lines have formed in Turkey, neighboring to Syria, where at least 3 million displaced Syrians live. And they're crossing to Syria as we speak. And they're crossing also from Lebanon as well, where I am, where more than 1 million Syrians have been living. And so the Lebanese border with Syria is where NPR went when news of the regime's fall came in because we wanted to meet these returning Syrians. ♪
Freedom, they chant as they ride by motorbike and drive by car towards Lebanon's border with Syria. By the thousands, Syrians displaced and living in Lebanon are now trying to go back to Syria. The regime they fled has now crumbled. When the Assad family was ousted from power by rebel groups this week, and with the regime collapsed, those who fled starting in 2011 during the Syrian civil war want to go home. It's like a dream.
It's like a dream. I still can't believe it, murmurs this Syrian man, Mohamed Abdelhak. He spoke to NPR producer Lama Al-Aryan in Beirut, still trembling with sleepless energy. He's been glued to his phone tracking updates.
Everything that's happening is in front of our faces thanks to technology, he says. And now he's planning to return to his home in northern Syria and see his mother for the first time in 14 years. He's hoping she will meet his children, born during his displacement for the first time ever.
The civil war displaced some 6 million Syrians, and their forced exodus across Europe to Turkey and the Arab world created one of the worst refugee crises of this century.
More than one million of them ended up here in refugee camps scattered across Lebanon. And as news of the Assad regime's end hit, Syrian children cheered in these camps. Many were born here in these camps, far away from their parents' homeland. But now the Syrian exodus may be reversing bit by bit as Syrians head home. As I'm born again.
Near the one working border crossing from Lebanon into Syria, Syrians are dancing in the streets. Many of them are streaming into Syria already, on the road to Damascus, its capital. One of them drove his car to Syria with eight mattresses strapped to the roof.
Another Syrian man showed NPR producer Jawad Rizala the falcon he had captured in Lebanon and was now driving into Syria, saying he was bringing the falcon, called the Shaheen in Arabic, to commemorate the Syrian rebels. They used Shaheen drones to battle forces aligned with the ousted Assad regime.
But as jubilant as these Syrians all are, they face an uncertain future. Mohammed Abdelhak, the Syrian man in Beirut, says he hopes Syria will become a democratic state.
where he can speak freely without fear. But he is intensely aware of the sectarianism and violence that followed other revolutions in the Arabic-speaking world. Let us build a state, he declares. But that is the monumental task ahead of them. They must rebuild a destroyed country, still being fought over by various competing armed groups. Getting back home is just the first step. Emily Fang and PR News, Beirut, Lebanon.
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