Summary

Many Syrians are weighing a return after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024: more than half a million have left Turkey since then, after the country once hosted up to 3.5 million Syrians at the peak of the conflict. Individual accounts capture the divide — 18-year-old Ahmed is impatient to go back and is saving to return, while others such as Aya Mustafa say they want to go eventually but fear the scale of destruction, occupied homes, and the lack of basics like electricity, water and jobs. Concerns about security and the character of the new interim government, led by Ahmed Al Sharaa — a former senior Al-Qaeda figure who is trying to rebrand himself — also make many hesitant to relocate immediately.

Turkey insists it will not force people out, but refugees and civil society groups say recent bureaucratic changes and cuts to services are creating pressure to leave. Syrians under “temporary protection” face restrictions on movement, difficulty obtaining work permits and the end of free medical care from January, while experts warn that election-time rhetoric could revive xenophobia. The result is mixed plans: some families are preparing one-way returns, others aim to stay in Turkey or are taking contingency measures, reflecting deep uncertainty about security, services and reconstruction in Syria as reported by BBC