A new caravan of Syrian displaced individuals will set off towards their towns within Syrian territory next Wednesday, as part of a Lebanese initiative to facilitate the voluntary return of those wishing to return. This initiative is organized by the Lebanese General Security after coordination with the Syrian authorities. While it was expected that 1,500 individuals would leave from northeastern Lebanon, the number has decreased to approximately 500, as some preferred to wait until the current academic year ends, considering that their children are enrolled in schools.
The Minister of Social Affairs in the caretaker government, Hector Hajjar, stated, "We are monitoring the pathways for the return of Syrian displaced people with decision-making capitals and international institutions," noting in a radio statement that "the General Security apparatus is responsible for foreigners, and thus is responsible for the technical aspect of the plan for the return of Syrian displaced people."
The voluntary return trips for Syrian displaced people will resume on Wednesday morning after a halt since 2019. Local sources in eastern Lebanon indicated that three caravans would set off: the first from northern Bekaa, the second from central Bekaa, and the third from western Bekaa. The sources mentioned that the first batch from northern Bekaa "will include 500 Syrian displaced individuals, who will head to their homeland with their civilian vehicles, belongings, agricultural tractors, and household furniture towards the villages and towns of Qalamoun (Rural Damascus) via the Al-Zamrani border crossing on the eastern chain in eastern Arsal, accompanied by army intelligence to the last Lebanese-Syrian border point."
Simultaneously, groups wishing to return voluntarily from western and central Bekaa have registered their names to move towards the Masnaa border point, from where they will proceed with their civilian vehicles towards the suburbs of Rural Damascus, under the supervision of Lebanese General Security, which is working to resume the organization of new return trips from Lebanon to Syria for 2022 and 2023.
Syrian lawyer Rana Ramadan, tasked with coordinating between the Lebanese Ministry of Displaced Persons and the General Directorate of General Security, stated that displaced individuals wishing to return voluntarily "had decided to return to Syria at the beginning of the summer when the opportunity for reconciliations in the western Qalamoun towns in Syria opened up, after the families of the displaced individuals in Syria went to the villages they fled from and provided complete information in municipal centers about their relatives in Lebanon." She added in statements to "Asharq Al-Awsat" that "these individuals had continued to wait for the chance to return as part of the voluntary return caravan organized by General Security, which stopped in 2019 due to COVID-19."
Ramadan pointed out that "after waiting throughout the summer, I contacted the Lebanese Ministry of Displaced Persons and informed them of the people's suffering, and I met with the Minister of Displaced Persons in the caretaker government, Issam Sharafeddine, who responded to us and visited Syria 15 days ago, advancing the return issue. There were also statements from the Minister of Local Administration and Environment in Syria, Hussein Makhlouf, regarding the return, and communication was made with General Abbas Ibrahim, resulting in Syrian approval in coordination with the General Security Directorate in Bekaa."
Ramadan clarified: "I had submitted lists to General Security regarding the desire of 483 families to return voluntarily. We provided nominal lists accompanied by information about each family, and after approval, it was sent to the Syrian side, where it was studied security and judicial-wise, and then returned to Lebanese General Security for the agreement to launch the first voluntary return trip at six in the morning next Wednesday, where the return caravan will depart from the gathering point in Wadi Hamid via the Al-Zamrani crossing towards the villages of Al-Mashrifa, Qara, Jarajir, and Nabek."
Ramadan remarked: "The Syrian displaced individuals here are suffering greatly from the simplest rights of living and essential life components in Arsal." She added: "The displaced individuals who have registered their names will leave in batches." She continued: "So far, a date for the second batch has not been set, but it is certain there will be a second batch." As for those whose files were studied and approved for return, some had registered their children in schools in Lebanon. Ramadan noted that these individuals "cannot return now so as not to lose the academic year for their children, while those who accepted to return now have their children still outside schools, and are thus hastening their return to not miss the academic year, as their matters are easier in schools in Syria."
