Following the official announcement, at dawn on Sunday, of political regime change in Syria, Syrian refugees around the world opened the doors for the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, Syria, and began charting their way back to their cities and towns from which they had been displaced for many years.
Meanwhile, the Syrian opposition that took control of Syria this morning pledged to return all refugees and displaced persons to their homes.
In Jordan, Syrian refugees in separate conversations with the Phenix Center expressed their readiness and plans to return to their country, especially after the renewed hope of restoring their normal lives in Syria, but most of them expressed their reluctance until the security situation there stabilizes.
Abdul-Ilah Saadeh, a 39-year-old Syrian refugee who works in the food industry, says he is currently thinking of returning to his country, especially since he has property in rural Damascus that he wants to restore to rebuild his life.
Abdul-Ilah's joy at the prospect of returning to his homeland is almost indescribable, as he wants to regain the life and work, he lost after his displacement, but at the same time, he believes that returning immediately in light of the unstable security situation in Syria may be an unsafe risk.
“Now is not the right time to return, the situation is still unstable there, and we don't know who will take over in Syria and what measures will be taken regarding our return, so I will wait a few months until the security situation stabilizes, and then I will start preparing my return to my homeland,” he explains.
Mohammed al-Muhaimeed, a 25-year-old Syrian refugee who also works in a barbershop, said that returning to his country is now a priority for him and his family, especially since all their relatives are in Syria.
“All our relatives are in Syria, and we have shops there,” he told Phenix Center: “When I return, I will open a barbershop as my own project, and this was my dream before I was displaced from my country.”
Mohammed's dream is the dream of thousands of Syrian refugees who were displaced from their country and lost their ambitions that they worked for years to achieve, only to finally renew their hope to regain the normal life they lost.
Mohammed agrees with other Syrian refugees contacted by Phenix Center that it would be unsafe to return immediately, and that he and his family will wait until the situation in Syria stabilizes and their return becomes easy and safe.
Malik Khrais, a 31-year-old refugee in Zaatari camp, says that returning to his country is only a matter of time, and that he will only wait for their return procedures from the next government in Syria.
Speaking to Phenix Center, Khreis explains that refugee life in the camp has become “harsh,” with no renovation of the caravans they live in, frequent electricity and water cuts, lack of job opportunities, and a reduction in UNHCR's services in terms of cash and in-kind assistance. He believes that there is currently no justification for staying in Jordan, especially since he has a house in Syria that he wants to get back so that he and his family can live a decent life.
As for the Syrian refugee women, one of them, who works in agriculture in the northern Jordan Valley, says she has always dreamed of returning to Syria, especially since she and her sisters have agricultural land in rural Damascus that they would like to reclaim to open agricultural projects there.
She explains that working in agriculture in Jordan is unproductive and unjustified, as there are difficulties in the work and its conditions, especially low wages, and there is no job security, and they are often subjected to exploitation by employers.
The majority of Syrians contacted by the Phenix Center in Zaatari and Azraq camps in northern Jordan agreed that they want to return to their cities and towns in Syria and restore their lives. They expressed their happiness at the political changes that took place in Syria, and that they have been dreaming for years to return to their country and restore their normal lives, but at the same time they expressed their desire to wait for several months for the security situation there to stabilize.
This morning, media outlets spotted dozens of Syrian refugees who entered Jordan in their vehicles leaving the kingdom through the Jaber border crossing, returning to their country after the announcement of the regime change in Syria, to resume their lives and businesses that they had left there.
Syrians who have left Jordan since this morning have expressed their gratitude and thanks to the Kingdom of Jordan and its people for hosting them and opening its doors to them.
The Syrian Embassy in Jordan announced that in light of the recent developments in Syria, it continues to work and provide consular services to members of the Syrian community in Jordan to facilitate their return to their homeland.