Enab Baladi – Muwafaq al-Khouja
On the morning of December 8, 2024, Moath (30 years old), a refugee in Germany, celebrated like millions of Syrians the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Since then, he has been torn between staying in the country he fled to months ago or returning to see his mother, whom he left in Aleppo over 13 years ago.
Moath wished he could be with his family and relatives in his home country to witness those celebrations on the ground, not from his home in the state of Greiz, thousands of kilometers away from Syria.
Millions of Syrians inside and outside of Syria celebrated the fall of the previous regime, which ruled the country with an iron fist for over 54 years.
This joy is incomplete for many Syrians who realize they have two options: either abandon their dream of stability in a country they sacrificed much to settle in or return to a homeland they have longed to see free from al-Assad’s rule. Alternatively, they could choose to remain in their host countries, away from their families and homeland.
Moath said to Enab Baladi that many Syrians in Europe wish to return to Syria after its liberation from al-Assad’s grip, but many reasons prevent them from doing so, including financial circumstances due to depleting their savings during their refugee journey and the prevailing living and service conditions in Syria.
He added that many Syrians are also reluctant to return currently due to their incomplete legal statuses and lack of residency permits that would allow them to travel freely, otherwise they risk losing their refugee status.
For its part, the German government is considering allowing Syrian refugees to make a one-time trip to their homeland without affecting their refugee status in Germany, as stated by German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on January 13.
French teacher Walid al-Hussein (40 years old) was among those who celebrated the fall of the previous regime on December 8, expressing astonishment at the speed and manner of its collapse, revealing the fragility of a regime that has ruled with heavy security for over 50 years.
Al-Hussein cannot return to Syria for several reasons. The first is that he is still new to Germany and only holds a temporary asylum card renewed every six months.
The second barrier for al-Hussein’s return is the security situation in light of the presence of what he refers to as the “shabihas” or regime loyalists who still roam freely in Aleppo, unaccountable for their actions, which makes him fear for himself, his family, and his four children from potential revenge due to his known support for the revolution.
The third reason preventing the Syrian man from returning is his destroyed home, which he cannot return to nor afford to repair after spending all his savings during the refugee journey to Germany, which cost him over 11,000 euros.
The same situation applies to Jihad al-Issa (33 years old), who has been living in Germany since August 2023 and works as a driver after a refugee journey from Turkey to Europe costing him over 10,000 US dollars.
Al-Issa prefers to return to his country and reunite his family members who have scattered across several countries in Europe and Turkey. However, he faces difficulties in bringing them back and finding a house to gather them due to the destruction of their homes from the previous regime’s artillery shelling.
Refugee journey
For years, Syrians have suffered harsh conditions in neighboring countries, especially in Turkey and Lebanon, including racial discrimination and poor financial situations that pushed them to migrate to Europe in hopes of a better life. However, the journey was arduous, filled with dangers and high costs, according to thousands of Syrian stories.
Moath, a thirty-something, recounts his refugee journey that lasted about a year and a half, costing over 15,000 euros to reach Germany, starting from Turkey, passing through Greece and Spain until he reached his destination, Berlin.
Moath made his way from Istanbul to Izmir in western Turkey, where smuggling operations for asylum seekers to Europe are common due to its proximity to the Greek islands.
He arrived via a rubber boat from Izmir to the Greek island of Rhodes and stayed there for about a month and a half, living as a tourist in one of its hotels until he could obtain papers allowing him to travel by plane or cruise ship to Greece.
During numerous attempts to transfer from Rhodes to Athens, Moath was detained for six days and then transferred to one of the remote islands where he remained for over four months.
Upon reaching Athens, Moath had to stay and work there illegally as a tailor due to running out of money to continue his journey to Germany, until he finally managed to obtain forged documents that allowed him to travel to the Spanish capital, Madrid, in preparation for reaching Germany.
He stayed four days stuck at Madrid airport after being deceived by a smuggler, who took the money before providing him with the forged identification necessary for continuing to Germany. He managed to escape again thanks to his girlfriend who secured the funds for him to complete his journey to Berlin.
The refugee journey was equally arduous for Walid al-Hussein, who left Turkey towards Bulgaria by land only to be arrested for crossing the border illegally, sentenced to a year in prison and held in a closed refugee camp for 20 days before being moved to another open camp where he was forced to be fingerprinted for his asylum application.
Many Syrians are hesitant to apply for asylum in Bulgaria due to its unfavorable economic conditions for refugees and prefer to bypass it to reach countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and others.
Al-Hussein managed to escape from the open refugee camp in Bulgaria after three months, reaching the Serbian border and then to the capital Belgrade after traversing about 20 mountains and nearly continuous walking.
He spent about two months in Belgrade, attempting to move on to Hungary but faced setbacks twice and was placed in a refugee camp. He finally succeeded after a three-day journey, continuing his path to Germany by international buses and local trains until he reached his final destination in Lower Saxony, the city of Bramsche.
Al-Hussein told Enab Baladi that his legal status in Germany is unclear, and his asylum file has been frozen following the fall of the previous regime. He clarified that his temporary card does not qualify him for residency, needing to be renewed every six months.
German plan of four phases
A day after the fall of the previous regime, Berlin suspended asylum requests from Syrians until the political developments in Syria become clearer, as indicated by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Germany.
According to German media, this freeze affects about 46,270 pending asylum applications.
Political circles in Germany differ regarding the repatriation of refugees. The ruling party supports their return to their home countries, while other parties, especially left-wing ones, call for caution in dealing with their case due to the unstable conditions in their homeland.
Conversely, Berlin has adopted a policy of encouraging the return of Syrian refugees from Germany, a policy that has been strengthened following the regime’s fall, considering Syria safe after al-Assad’s departure.
On January 5, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated that the ministry has devised a plan to manage the refugee situation in the country.
Faeser added that under German law, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees will assess and revoke the protection status granted if refugees in Germany are no longer in need of that protection.
The German minister outlined a four-step plan regarding the refugee case, indicating that anyone who is well-integrated, employed, speaks German, and has found a new home could be allowed to stay in Germany.
Germany is one of the largest European countries receiving Syrian refugees, with the number reaching 974,136 people by October 2024, with over two-thirds of applicants seeking protection.
115,000 back from neighboring countries
While there are no official statistics about those returning from European countries, the number of Syrian refugees returning from neighboring countries (Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey) to Syria has increased after December 8, 2024.
According to statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of January 2, more than 115,000 Syrians returned from Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon.
The UN has predicted that around one million Syrians will return to their homeland during the first six months following the fall of al-Assad’s regime. Meanwhile, it has called on host countries not to force refugees to return.
The Director of UNHCR’s Middle East and North Africa Bureau, Rema Jamous Imseis, urged host countries to “be patient” and maintain the protection of Syrians who have found safe havens in the countries they fled to, advising against forcibly returning them to Syria.