The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced the completion of its first voluntary humanitarian return journey of the current year, successfully repatriating 152 Syrian migrants from Libyan territory to their home country.
This operation falls under the North Africa Migrant Protection, Return and Reintegration (MPRR-NA) programme, which receives funding from the European Union. The flight departed from the capital, Tripoli, last Wednesday evening, following a formal request from the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
In comments on the operation, Eleonora Cervino, the acting head of the IOM mission in Syria, emphasised that the process underscores the organisation’s continuous commitment to supporting the voluntary and sustainable return of the most vulnerable people. She stated that the programme contributes to regional stability and development, restoring hope for those who lack the means to return home. IOM also affirmed its dedication to ensuring a safe, voluntary, and dignified return for Syrian migrants living in precarious circumstances.
The returning families received necessary assistance before they departed from Tripoli and again upon their arrival in Damascus. They were then received and transported to their final destinations, specifically in the governorates of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs. According to the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix data, approximately 581,000 Syrians have returned to Syria from abroad since December 2024, the majority coming from Turkey and Lebanon. Furthermore, IOM has helped over 105,000 migrants in Libya to return safely to their countries of origin since 2015.
IOM is currently intensifying its efforts within Syria to foster sustainable reintegration through multi-sectoral projects. With support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), a new project is set to launch in Aleppo to provide shelter through rehabilitation and rental assistance, alongside improving access to housing, land, and property rights, and offering legal, psychosocial, and social support to enhance community cohesion.
These developments coincide with preparations by the Libyan and Syrian authorities to resume direct flights between Damascus and Tripoli next week, following a suspension of more than a decade. It is noted that the Syrian embassy in Tripoli reopened in August after being closed in 2012. The overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime occurred last December, and UN statistics indicate that more than one million Syrian refugees have since returned home. The conflict that began in Syria in 2011 caused the displacement of millions of people both internally and abroad.
Last July, IOM secured official approval from the Syrian Foreign Ministry to re-establish its presence in Damascus and expand its humanitarian operations across various governorates. The organisation has been delivering life-saving humanitarian aid in northwest Syria since 2014, including emergency relief, protection services, psychosocial support, shelter, and displacement data collection.
