216,000 displaced Syrians returned to Idlib since March

 Syrians fleeing bombing

29 April 2020; MEMO: More than 216,000 displaced Syrians moved back to the war-torn governorates of Idlib and Aleppo in the north of Syria since the announcement of a Turkish-Russian ceasefire on 6 March, Anadolu Agency reported yesterday.

According to an activist involved in the coordination of the return of the displaced in the north of Syrian, Anadolu said that more than a million Syrians fled Idlib and its surroundings due to the regime’s attack on the area in November.

The activist said that many of the displaced returned immediately after the start of the ceasefire on 6 March.

The displaced Syrians stayed in refugee camps near the Syrian-Turkish border or in areas controlled by the Syrian opposition.

According to the activist, many returned due to fears of a possible outbreak of the coronavirus in the overcrowded camps. They are, however, unable to return to their homes because they fall under the Assad regime rule.

On 5 March, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Syria’s ally, announced signed a deal to enforce a ceasefire and establish a safe zone along the strategic M4 highway.