IDPs Return to Regime-Controlled Areas in Idlib and Hama

In several public statements Syrian officials have encouraged the return of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from opposition areas in northwestern Syria to regime-controlled areas in the countryside of Idlib and Hama. However, no Syrian official has mentioned that returnees must undergo security screening by reconciliation committees as a condition for their return. The journey back is costly, and some returnees face arrest and financial extortion.

For example, Abu Burhan has been waiting for three months to obtain  a security approval for his request to return to his hometown in the eastern Idlib’s countryside. Displaced since 2020, Abu Burhan and his family reside in a refugee camp in Atma in northern Idlib. His cousin, who lives in regime-controlled areas, convinced him to apply for return through the reconciliation committee. Abu Burhan said that if he receives a security approval, he will return to work on his pistachio farm, which would provide his family with the minimum living costs, as their financial situation has become dire in the Atma camp.

Abu Burhan fears disclosing any information that might identify him, worrying about security persecution if he returns or if his return request is denied. He plans to return alone initially, leaving his family in the camp. Depending on the situation in his village, he will either return to the camp or have his family join him.

Abu Burhan’s cousin informed him that the pistachio trees on his land have yielded a very good crop this year, prompting him to take the risk of returning to harvest this season. He added that his cousin had managed to bribe a member of the committees responsible for designating absentee lands for public auctions for investment by relatives over the past few years. This allowed Abu Burhan’s cousin to harvest the pistachio crop from his land during these years. However, it wasn’t for free. Abu Burhan said his cousin always negotiated a large share of the crop’s price, exploiting his absence. “I have more rights to the harvest than my cousin. Here in the camp, I don’t have the money to buy bread to feed my family,” he said.

A significant number of those returning to regime-controlled areas are motivated by the desire to return to their farmlands, reinvest in them, and benefit from their produce. A better option than staying in the camps and enduring the harsh conditions there. According to a report by the Syria Response Coordinators team on May 31, 91.16 percent of families in northern Syria are living below the poverty line, with 40.9 percent reaching severe food insecurity. These indicators explain why forcibly displaced people in the north are seriously considering returning to regime-controlled areas despite the potential risks.

Those wishing to return to regime-controlled areas must submit a return request to the reconciliation committee, either through relatives or acquaintances or by contacting the committee directly via WhatsApp, according to a correspondent for The Syria Report. There are three regional reconciliation committees: one in Khan Sheikhoun, another in Maarat Al-Numan, and another in Abu Dhuhour. To submit the request, one must send a photo of their ID card, photos of the family record book, and indicate which family members are returning and justify why the others are not. Often, the justification is that they are outside Syria. Afterward, a committee from various security agencies reviews the request. Approval or rejection of requests usually comes within one to three months. Those whose requests are approved are given a written approval that facilitates their passage through regime checkpoints until they reach their destination.

The correspondent noted that older men are often the ones who decide to return, as young men, if they return to regime-controlled areas, must immediately join the military service, which prevents many of them from returning. Additionally, the opposition Syrian National Army  (SNA) prohibits the return of young men aged 18-30.

There is no direct route between opposition and regime-controlled areas. The return journey starts from opposition areas in Idlib and rural Aleppo to the Aoun Al-Dadat crossing between Jarablus, controlled by the Turkish-backed SNA, and Manbij, under SDF control. From the Aoun al-Dadat crossing, returnees move to the Al-Tayha crossing between SDF areas in Manbij and regime-controlled areas in Aleppo.

The cost of the return journey from Idlib to Hama via this route exceeds USD 250, not including the bribes imposed by various checkpoints controlled by different factions along the way.

Returnees must register their personal details with the military police of the SNA in the presence of two guarantors who hold ID cards issued by one of the local councils affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government (SIG). These guarantors must attest that the returnee will not join the regime’s military forces and is returning for agricultural purposes.

Returnees can bring whatever luggage and furniture they wish, but they must send a description of their belongings to the reconciliation committee for registration and make them known to regime checkpoints upon their return so that these belongings don’t get confiscated. They must also specify whether they are returning in their own vehicles or rented ones. These vehicles must be registered with the transport directorates in regime-controlled areas.

Approximately 10 days after returning, the returnee will be notified by a representative of the relevant security branch in the area to report to a specific security branch for an investigation. In many cases, returnees have reported harassment and threats at these security branches, aimed at extorting money from them. One returnee to Khan Sheikhoun earlier this year said he was forced to pay about USD 20,000 to branch officers to secure his release. He confirmed that no charges were brought against him, he was not presented to a court, and he was only released after his relatives managed to raise the full amount. This is essentially kidnapping for ransom, according to the correspondent, who noted that this practice is commonly used against returnees whom the security officers know are financially capable.