More than 100 families leave northern Syria camps under voluntary return program
Idlib, Aug. 2 (SANA)More than 100 displaced Syrian families left camps in northern Syria on Sunday under a voluntary return program to their hometowns in Hama province, as the government continues efforts to reduce internal displacement under the “Syria Without Camps” initiative.
The convoy, carrying about 106 families to the town of Kafr Zeita in northernHama countryside, was organized by the governorates of Idlib and Hama under the supervision of the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, in coordination with the local directorates of Social Affairs, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and humanitarian organizations.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts to facilitate the voluntary return of internally displaced people and support the rehabilitation of communities affected by years of war. It also aligns with Decree No. 59, which aims to restore damaged areas and create conditions for safe and sustainable returns.
The latest convoy follows another voluntary return operation on July 29, when 94 families left displacement camps in Idlib for the town of Kafr Nabudah in Hama countryside.
Manaf Hammam, UNHCR’s camps coordination and management officer, said the agency is working with local authorities to facilitate returns by providing transportation for families and their belongings, as well as distributing non-food assistance to support safe and dignified returns.
Mohammad Bakir, director of the Northern Department of Social Affairs and Labour, said authorities are preparing to facilitate the return of about 700 additional families to theHamaandIdlibcountrysides, at a rate of approximately 100 families per day, until all scheduled convoys have been completed.
The convoy is part of Syria’s “Syria Without Camps” initiative, which seeks to end long-term internal displacement by enabling displaced families to return voluntarily to their areas of origin.
On July 21, another 314 families returned from camps in northern Syria to their homes in southern Idlib countryside and Hama province under the same program.