Al -Jazeera Net Correspondents
North Syria- The land crossings between Türkiye and northern Syria are witnessing a thick movement in the numbers of Syrian returnees, with a significant increase in recent days. The congestion is mainly concentrated in the Bab Al -Hawa and Bab Al -Salama crossing in Rifi Idlib AndAleppo Northern Syria, where long lines are recorded for the expected families to cross into the country.
It is noted that the majority of returnees are families residing in the southern Turkish states, such as Gaziantep, Shanley Urfa and Adana, as the movement continues on a daily basis with expectations of the high numbers during the coming weeks, while the crossings operate at full capacity to run the income movement and regulate transit.
The escalation of the numbers of Syrian returnees from Turkey is due to several factors combined, including the summer season, which facilitates movement and return to the homeland, in addition to improving the security and economic conditions in some regions of northern Syria, which enhances the opportunities for stability, and the end of the school year in Turkey contributes to pushing families to take the decision to return with the beginning of the summer vacation.
Return hopes
Near the Turkish “Gilvaguz” crossing opposite the Bab Al -Hawa border crossing with Syria, the Syrian refugee returning to his country, Muhammad Rahal (38 years), confirmed that the decision to return was difficult, but the improvement of the security situation in his region and the support of the local authorities made him trust that the future is better in Syria.
Al -Rahhal added, in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net, that the end of the school year in Turkey helped him to arrange his affairs and return with the family, noting that his children are eager to see their motherland, which they were hearing in the news and their Turkish teachers in the school.
In turn, Umm Ahmed, 56, spoke, while waiting for the crossing to Syria from the “Bab Al -Salama” crossing, about her decision to return after years of alienation and distance from her land, pointing out that life in Turkey has become difficult, and work opportunities began to decrease very amid the high costs of houses and basic materials.
Umm Ahmed told Al -Jazeera Net: “We feel the hope of what we see from the improvement in our regions in the countryside of Aleppo, and we hope to build a stable life again in our liberated country from the injustice of the lion and its unjust aides who have been conducted for years.”
As for Mahmoud Al -Khatib, who has graduated recently at one of Istanbul universities, he says that his obtaining a very difficult issue in Turkey, and he feels strange, pointing out that job opportunities in Syria are better than before, with liberation and the departure of Assad and finally the lifting of sanctions.
Lift
Those in charge of the administration of the land crossings with Türkiye, northern Syria, refer to an active and noticeable movement witnessed by the crossings during the past few days, amid expectations that the number of returnees to the country will increase.
In this regard, the Director of Public Relations at the General Authority for the Land and Navy Ports Mazen Alloush says that the border crossings with Turkey, especially Bab al -Hawa and Baba Al -Salama, have witnessed a remarkable increase in the numbers of Syrians returning to the country, whose number since the fall of Assad has reached about 250,000.
Alloush explained, in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net, that this increase is due to several factors, the most prominent of which is the improvement of living conditions within some areas and the return of basic services, as well as a state of relative security stability, which contributed to creating an encouraging environment for voluntary return.
Alloush pointed out that the authority took all necessary measures to accommodate this flow, by raising administrative and technical readiness in the crossings, and forming specialized teams to receive and direct the returnees, as well as accelerate the procedures related to their transactions. Medical teams were also allocated to follow up health conditions, and provide the necessary support to the elderly and families.
He concluded by saying, “We look at this return as an important indication of restoring confidence in national institutions, and we are working in coordination with all concerned parties to provide a safe and stimulating environment for more returnees wishing to settle.”