First 29 families return to Deir Ezzor from displacement camps

Twenty-nine families began returning to Deir Ezzor on Monday from displacement camps in northeastern Syria, the first group in a three-day operation intended to bring 224 families back to their towns and villages.

The return is being organized by Deir Ezzor’s directorates of Social Affairs and Labor and International Cooperation, in coordination with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and partner organizations.

Muhannad al-Hneidi, the province’s director of Social Affairs and Labor, told SANA that the first group came from the Western Industrial City and al-Shahabat camps. He said al-Shahabat had been closed completely.

A further 119 families are scheduled to return on Tuesday and 76 on Wednesday, bringing the planned total to 224, al-Hneidi said.

He said the operation forms part of efforts to close informal displacement camps gradually by providing for families’ sustainable return to their areas of origin.

The convoy is among a series of voluntary returns under the “Syria Without Camps” initiative. The government’s plans focus on removing hazards and rehabilitating infrastructure to help displaced people return to their communities.