Damascus, Syria – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned that current conditions in Syria are not conducive to the safe, dignified, and sustainable return of refugees from neighbouring countries.
In a statement released Thursday, the IRC cited ongoing insecurity, destroyed infrastructure, lack of essential services, and mounting humanitarian needs as major risks facing returnees and host communities alike.
Juan Gabriel Wells, the IRC’s country director for Syria, said that while the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December raised hopes for many displaced Syrians, the reality on the ground for those returning today “is, for too many, not the same as returning safely, with dignity, or with any guarantee of permanence.”
Families returning from abroad face severe challenges, including securing housing, food, water, and healthcare. Nearly a third of homes in Syria remain destroyed, forcing many returnees into precarious and costly rental arrangements.
The IRC also pointed to rising local violence, sectarian conflict, and repeated Israeli airstrikes that continue to claim civilian lives and displace communities. Unexploded ordnance remains a major hazard: 87% of Syrians surveyed reported bombs or mines within 10 kilometres of their homes. Since December, at least 525 people, many of them children and recent returnees, have been killed by leftover explosives.
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Infrastructure remains in shambles. More than 80% of Syria’s electricity networks have been damaged, only half of hospitals are fully operational, two-thirds of water networks are out of service, and a third of schools remain closed.
Meanwhile, humanitarian needs are rising while international support dwindles. The 2025 humanitarian response plan is just 15% funded, leaving 16.5 million Syrians, including returnees, facing severe shortages of assistance.
The IRC noted a decline in refugees’ willingness to return. Only 18% expressed readiness to go back in September, down from 25% in February, reflecting growing insecurity and worsening economic conditions.
“Crucially, return must always be a choice: voluntary, well-informed, safe, and dignified,” the IRC stressed, calling for long-term international engagement, reconstruction investments, and sustained humanitarian aid rather than short-term fixes.
Earlier this week, Syria’s interim Public Works and Housing minister, Mustafa Abdul Razzak, acknowledged the scale of destruction, estimating that one million homes have been destroyed and four million Syrians now live in informal settlements. He pledged to restart long-delayed housing projects, though admitted the ministry faces overwhelming financial and logistical challenges.
