The Syrian transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, visited Idlib governorate in northwestern Syria today, Saturday, February 15, marking his first internal visit since assuming power at the end of last month.
Al-Sharaa began his internal visits with a trip to the displacement camps in northwestern Syria, where over two million Syrian citizens still reside.
The Syrian Presidency posted photos from the visit on “X,” showcasing al-Sharaa’s meetings with Syrian displaced individuals.
Accompanying al-Sharaa were the current Idlib governor, Muhammad Abdul Rahman (former Minister of Interior in the caretaker government), and the governor of Damascus, Maher Muhammad Marwan Idlibi.
Idlib holds revolutionary symbolism in Syria, as it has hosted opposition activists and armed factions, and has been subjected to bombing by Bashar al-Assad’s forces and Russia over the years.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which launched Operation “Deterrence of Aggression” and toppled Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, was active in the area.
The visit comes amid a shortage of services provided to displaced individuals during the current winter season, in addition to limited options for exiting and departing from the camps.
Two days ago, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the movement out of the camps remains restricted, with about 80,000 people having left the camps in northwestern Syria, while 300 individuals left the al-Arisha camp in the east of the country.
Approximately two million people remain displaced in northwestern Syria, with most living in overcrowded and flimsy tents, according to OCHA.
On another note, OCHA mentioned that the UN and its partners continue to provide assistance based on circumstances and funding, including winter aid for northern Syria.
Partners in early recovery have made urgent repairs to roads and sewage systems affected by previous floods in northwestern Syria, and rehabilitation of nine markets near the displacement camps is currently underway, according to OCHA.
The UN has provided support to over 260,000 children in Idlib and northern Aleppo with heaters, winter clothing, and other aid, and winter relief has been distributed to 500 children in Qamishli, in the al-Hasakah governorate in eastern Syria, since December 2024.
Beginning in December 2024, health organizations partnered with the UN deployed mobile medical teams and provided mental health support, enhancing facilities with heating and insulation, reaching 800,000 people in northwestern Syria, according to the report.
The UN complains of a funding shortage, having received less than 10% of the total $1.2 billion needed to assist 6.7 million Syrians by March.
The issue of the internal return of displaced individuals and closing the chapter on the camps is among the main challenges currently facing the authorities, given the extensive destruction left by the systematic bombing of villages, towns, and cities by the former regime forces, which severely damaged civilian homes and infrastructure across the Syrian map.