According to the Turkish interior ministry’s statement on Wednesday, April 16th, more than 175,000 Syrians who fled to Turkey during the civil war have returned to Syria since the fall of the regime headed by President Bashar al-Assad in December.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that 175,412 Syrians had voluntarily returned to their home country between December 9th and April 13th. He added that approximately 2.8 million Syrian refugees remain in Turkey.
The Turkish government, which also played a role in the toppling of the Assad regime, aims to further accelerate refugee returns to ease domestic tensions linked to their presence.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reports that, in total, around 400,000 Syrians have returned from neighboring countries since Assad’s fall, while more than one million internally displaced people have also returned to their homes within Syria.
