In Syria, our work continues, and we are assessing how we can help in newly accessible areas

According to the UN, since 28 November, approximately one million people—mostly women and children—have experienced displacement. In Idlib, the end of airstrikes and shelling has encouraged recently displaced families to return, reducing the scale of temporarily displaced.

People tend to return but face destruction and lack of services 

Further returns are reported to formerly government-controlled areas, especially in southern Idlib and northern Hama; however, it is too early to assess the sustainability of these returns, given the destruction and lack of services locally.

Since 2012, People in Need (PIN) has been actively engaged in northern Syria, serving as a leader in delivering relief and recovery programmes in Education, Food Security, Cash, Emergency Response, WASH, and livelihoods sectors. We employ approximately 600 people, primarily national staff, in Syria. In 2023 alone, we provided humanitarian assistance to almost a million people across northern Syria and €67 million in aid. 

“In northwest Syria, our observations indicate that while some individuals attempt to return to their homes, many return to camps or cannot leave due to the destruction of houses and infrastructure in their hometowns in areas previously controlled by the government. Cities along the former frontline are almost empty after heavy fighting in past years with no electricity, water, shops, medical services, or schools available,” says Tomáš Kocian, People in Need's Regional Director for the Middle East.

"As for returning to our villages and the return of the displaced people, it is an indescribable joy. People feel a new life. People here were patient and endured the bombing, so the joy was immense after the long patience," Anwar from the village of Jawbas close to Saraqib describes his feelings upon returning home. 

"Unfortunately, when we returned, the houses were destroyed. I told myself that this was not our village because of the extent of the destruction. All the people feel that the village’s character has changed because of the extent of the destruction," says Anwar.

Janwas was a frontline village for a long time and suffered a great deal of destruction. "There are minefields in some areas and even among the destroyed houses. It is a new level of crime. Currently, life in the Saraqib is non-existent. There are no services, no water, no electricity. There are no necessities of life for people to return to their homes. Some people who have the financial ability may return in the summer. However, many others may not be able to return at all. Yet, many returnees overcome their pain when they returned and saw their villages and homes," he adds.

The shifting territorial control has significantly disrupted humanitarian services, particularly in the northeast, where internally displaced people in certain areas risk losing access to critical aid, including food and non-food items. Population movements are fluid and unpredictable, with some displaced people considering returning to their original homes in areas previously under government control. Approximately 100,000 people have been displaced to northeast Syria to date.

Food security, health, and education as major concerns

The Northwest Syria NGO forum has noted that humanitarian needs have reached critical levels, with food security, health services, and education emerging as major concerns. Bread prices in Idlib and Aleppo have surged since late November. This rise is driven by currency depreciation, economic instability, and disrupted supply chains. Hospitals across Syria are overwhelmed, particularly in northwest Syria, where over 1,900 trauma cases have been reported since 27 November.

Meanwhile, education remains severely disrupted, with 3.7 million children unable to attend school. The widespread psychological distress, especially among children, further exacerbates vulnerabilities.

Our work and next steps

We maintained food security activities, support to bakeries, and reconstruction work in northwest Syria. Other programmes are being revised based on the situation. As the movement of displaced people is ongoing, we lack reliable data; thus, our teams are conducting assessments to understand better the situation in areas where we work. This includes verifying the needs of communities we support, assessing demographic changes, and evaluating whether our current work is relevant to emerging needs in other areas. We aim to ensure that our work is meaningful and responsive to the needs of the people we serve.

We will continue to exercise caution, ensuring we assess developments before making any long-term decisions while remaining flexible to emerging needs. “In newly opened areas, we plan to support returnees as well as hosting communities with food security, cash, water sanitation and hygiene programmes or livelihood support and to add programmes focused on development, reconstruction and social cohesion,” says Tomáš Kocian. He adds that we will seek registration and the official start of operation in newly accessible areas with the potential opening of offices in Aleppo and Damascus. 

Please consider donating to our SOS Syria and Iraq Emergency Appeal, if you can.