After a long conflict that began nearly fourteen years ago, the Assad regime collapsed on December 8th, 2024 following a military coup in the capital by the HTS (Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham), a jihadist rebel military force, ending an authoritarian regime that lasted more than 50 years characterised by political repression and extreme corruption.

In 2011, peaceful protest movements rapidly degenerated into armed rebellions, with rebel militias regularly clashing with government forces. The conflict lasted more than a decade, and in 2019, violent clashes and assaults killed thousands and displaced 850,000 civilians.

Since the fall of Assad, UNHCR has positioned staff to Syria’s frontiers to monitor inflows and outflows of people crossing the borders. Thousands of displaced Syrians have been attempting to return home in spite of the desperate conditions. In the period between last December 2024 and January 2025, 52,622 refugees with temporary protection returned to Syria from Turkey while, every day, authorities at the borders estimate about 1,000 to 1,500 people returning from Lebanon. In addition, about 500,000 internally displaced Syrians have returned to their homes in Syria’s northern regions, according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. On December 17th 2024, the United Nations predicted that up to one million Syrian refugees could return to their country by the first half of 2025.

In this critical phase of the transition, there is an urgent need to provide effective support to returning refugees to facilitate reintegration and provide them with adequate temporary housing. Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees said:

“They are returning to a country on its knees, where there is no electricity, food is scarce, services are non-existent, and job opportunities are virtually non-existent. It is therefore even more crucial that the international community and donor countries support this return process, making it sustainable to restore dignity to these people.”

The devastating effects of this conflict have left more than 16 million people, about 45 percent of whom are children, in extremely severe conditions.

The United Nations and other humanitarian agencies have been assisting Syrians at this crucial time. 204 “Collective Emergency Centers” have been set up across the country to house refugees, and supplies from WHO, UNICEF and other humanitarian agencies have reached devastated areas, providing food, medical equipment and other essential supplies. However, there is a general lack of funds to provide the assistance needed, and half of the emergency centers have already exhausted their budgets. Therefore, the United Nations has requested $1.2 billion to the international community to provide assistance to the 6.7 million most vulnerable Syrians, with the goal of providing some 5.4 million refugees with food aid, 3 million with medical care, and using $2.5 million to provide clean water and sanitation facilities. As stated by IOM, the UN migration agency, “The funds will be used to provide basic necessities and cash, shelter and protection assistance, water, sanitation and health services, as well as early recovery support to people on the move.”

However, the humanitarian crisis is far from over. Even with the toppling of the regime and the confirmation of HTS leader Ahmad al-Shara’a as interim president, hostilities persist. Political unrest and violent attacks are still present in the country, especially in Aleppo, Al-Hasakah and Ar- Raqqa, with ISIS attacks intensifying and HTS suppressing any resurgence. Due to the ongoing instability, UNHCR reports that the number of the internally displaced has consistently increased, reaching 829,490, as of February 27th. On March 8, violent clashes between new government forces and militias linked to former President Assad killed more than 1,000 people, including 745 civilians. In response to this violence, the European Union condemned the attacks and expressed concern for the safety and security of civilians, who are increasingly involved in these incidents.

Thus, Syrians returning to their homes after years of conflict find their country in devastated conditions, with damaged infrastructures, destroyed homes, electricity shortages, scarcity of needed resources. The humanitarian crisis has only deepened due to ongoing violent clashes and attacks. While humanitarian organisations have assisted the huge number of refugees and internally displaced persons living in extreme conditions, significant financial support from the international community is still needed to support reconstruction while ensuring the protection of the most vulnerable Syrians. Consequently, to address this crisis, a collective effort of international actors is essential to support Syria in this critical transitional period to ensure security and stability as well as a process of recovery and reconstruction of the country.