After the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, around 4,000 Syrian nationals have returned to their home country from Germany. This is according to research by the ARD political magazine “Panorama” based on information released on Thursday. Currently, around one million Syrians live in Germany. Most fled to Germany in 2014 and 2015 to escape the civil war in their home country.
According to the report, 995 of the Syrian returnees had their departure subsidized as part of the federal-state program for voluntary return. Among other things, travel costs are covered, and returnees also receive financial start-up assistance of 1,000 euros per person. In addition, according to “Panorama,” another 193 departures were subsidized by programs run by individual federal states.
According to the report, 2,727 Syrian nationals left Germany without subsidies by the end of June. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, it is not recorded whether their destination was Syria or another country.
In addition to financial incentives for voluntary return, the federal government agreed in its coalition agreement to resume deportations to Syria, “starting with criminals and dangerous individuals.” The federal states are responsible for repatriations. A survey by Panorama in all federal states revealed that no such repatriations have been carried out to date.
After the fall of long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, there was heavy fighting between different ethnic groups in the southern Syrian province of Suwaida in mid-July. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 1,400 people died in the violence. A ceasefire has since been agreed, but observers say there has been renewed fighting recently.
From breaking news to thought-provoking opinion pieces, our newsletter keeps you informed & engaged.
