The UN “advises against large-scale returns”

The director general of the UN migration agency, Amy Pope, on Tuesday “advised” against a massive return of Syrian refugees to their country until the situation there is stabilized, after the fall of Bashar al- Assad.

“People have the right to return home (..) but we advise against large-scale returns”, the infrastructure “could not support such an influx”, declared to AFP Amy Pope, who heads the Organization International Organization for Migration (IOM), during a visit to Lebanon.

The UN estimated on Tuesday that a million Syrian refugees could return to their country between January and June 2025, following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by a coalition of rebel groups led by radical Islamists on December 8.

“Potential threats”

Ms. Pope added that “without investment in Syria (…), sending people back will only further destabilize the country and will likely create pressure” for a new wave of migration. According to her, “tens of thousands” of people have fled Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad and “we are hearing that religious minorities are leaving the country”.

Members of the Shiite Muslim community would have fled “not because they are really threatened, but because they are worried about potential threats”, in a country with a Sunni majority, she added. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who posed as the protector of minorities, the new authorities committed to establishing the rule of law and respecting all minorities.

Christian religious leaders in Damascus “indicated that their communities remain very concerned, although they have not yet left,” she added. Ms. Pope added that the international community wanted to “ensure that the most radical voices within this coalition do not destabilize a government that aims to be more open, democratic and inclusive.”