Syria: after Bashar Al-Assad, a bloodless country with growing humanitarian needs

While, to everyone’s surprise, Bashar Al-Assad’s regime fell in just 12 days, Syria remains a stage for significant population displacement. The humanitarian situation in the country remains dire, and it would be premature to assume that the conditions for safe, dignified, and voluntary returns are fully in place today. 

An explosion of joy, tinged with uncertainty for many, greeted the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria. The happiness of finally being entitled to a future, the desire to move forward, and the hope of building together filled everyone’s hearts. 

However, the security situation remains complex, with numerous armed groups still active across the country. Syria continues to suffer strikes on its military facilities, and several areas are facing escalations in violence, such as in Kobane, Deir ez-Zor, and Manbij. 

16 million Syrians needed humanitarian aid before the regime’s fall. These needs have not diminished since then and have even worsened in recent weeks. The UN reports that the opposition groups’ offensive has forced an additional one million people to flee their homes, and with the regime’s collapse, many more are once again displaced. Those who had been living for years in camps near Aleppo or Idlib have sometimes visited their villages, only to witness the scale of destruction and realize that living there remains impossible for now. Some have decided to wait until winter ends before making a decision about returning home. 

Others are also arriving from neighboring countries, including several thousand Syrians who had taken refuge in Turkey and crossed back over the border within two days. In the northeast, there are already 120,000 displaced people from the northwest, with further arrivals expected as violence persists in many parts of the country. Fahima, displaced for the eighth time, is now in Raqqa. She came from Tel Rifaat, near the Turkish border, and describes the ongoing hardships: “We need everything—medical care, basic hygiene supplies. We have no blankets, nothing to eat, no mattresses.” 

Under these circumstances, humanitarian needs are growing. Abboud Al Ahmad, a school employee in Raqqa, shares his experience: “When displaced people began arriving from other regions in search of shelter, the authorities ordered us to empty the schools to accommodate them. But we are unable to meet all their needs. There are problems with the windows, the heating, and the fuel. People arrive every day. We don’t have enough toilets, and the sanitation system is inadequate.” 

The teams from SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL continue their efforts to distribute food, water, blankets, and hygiene kits to displaced people, while preparing to support new arrivals in northeastern Syria. The situation is particularly critical at the onset of winter. Additional interventions are planned, including cash transfers, rehabilitation of reception facilities, and distribution of essential goods. 

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