After the earthquakes, Syrians use new rules to cross from Turkey | Turkey and Syria earthquake news

BAB AL-Hawa, Syria – After seven years of separation, Hussein al-Ahmed made the journey from Turkey, finally reuniting with his family in northern Syria.

But no change related to the war in Syria brought him back.

Instead, Al-Ahmad is one of thousands of Syrian refugees in Turkey who have benefited from easing regulations in the wake of devastating earthquakes that hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria a month ago.

Turkish authorities are now allowing Syrian refugees residing in the quake-hit provinces to voluntarily return to opposition-held northwest Syria and then back – provided they stay no longer than six months.

For Syrians living in the 10 worst-affected Turkish provinces, where many buildings have been destroyed and many remain unsafe, Syria — the country they fled due to the 12-year war — is suddenly looking more attractive, albeit temporarily.

“After my sister and I spent 10 days in public parks, I had no choice but to return to Syria through the announced voluntary repatriation system,” said Al-Ahmad, a 30-year-old refugee originally from the northern countryside. Hama, who lives in the city of Alexandretta, southern Turkey.

Hussein Al-Ahmad met his family in Syria after spending seven years in Turkey [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera]

One of the attractions that encouraged some Syrians to make the trip to northern Syria was the state of despair experienced by the earthquake-hit southern provinces of Turkey, and the lack of relatives in other provinces. There, they have relatives and may be able to at least secure shelter before considering again staying or returning to Turkey, once the quake-hit areas have been rebuilt.

The number of Syrian refugees who arrived in Syria through the Bab al-Hawa, Bab al-Salam, and Jarabulus border crossings has reached nearly 40,000.

“The number of refugees arriving through Bab al-Hawa crossing is close to 15,000,” Mazen Alloush, director of media relations on the Syrian side of the crossing between Turkey and Turkey, told Al-Jazeera.

Alloush said that the return program extends only to holders of a temporary protection permit, and is not open to holders of tourist residence permits, or even holders of Turkish-Syrian nationality.

A Turkish Defense Ministry official told Reuters last week that 40,000 Syrians had returned to their country.

Since April last year, Syrians have been banned from taking round trips to Syria, and not allowed back into Turkey if they cross the border.

The issue of Syrian refugees in Turkey, who number over 3.75 million, has been contentious in recent years, with anti-Syrian sentiment rising among the Turkish public.

chance to escape

For Al-Ahmad, his planned three-month trip to Syria offers a chance to get away from what he experienced during the earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people in both Turkey and Syria, but then he will need to return.

“I will go back to Turkey after my trip is over because my family lives in a refugee camp here and I don’t want to overburden them,” al-Ahmad said. “I must also resume work so that I can secure a living for myself and my family here.”

For others, the opportunity to return home allowed them to finally say goodbye to family members who died in their absence.

Malak Khazna, a Syrian refugee who has been living in the Turkish city of Antakya for nine years, lost her mother two years ago, but was unable to return for fear of being trapped in Syria.

The first reason for my return is to visit my mother’s grave. Maybe she would forgive me when I couldn’t say goodbye and take care of her while she was sick.

Malak Khazneh went to Syria with her four-year-old son, and plans to spend three months there before deciding whether to return to Turkey. [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera]

Khazna said the devastation caused by the earthquake reminded her of her experiences during the war in Syria, where buildings were demolished and civilians were trapped under the rubble.

“My stay is for three months. I will live with my son and his family,” Khazna said. “If I find things stable, and there are no air strikes, I will stay here and not go back to Turkey. I went to Turkey to flee from [Syrian President Bashar] Assad regime airstrikes – I didn’t go there to settle down.”

The earthquake-affected southern provinces of Turkey host the largest number of Syrian refugees in Turkey, in light of its proximity to the Syrian border, and the low rent and cost of living compared to other provinces.

Some of the refugees who resided in these provinces have now decided to return permanently after the earthquake in which many lost their jobs and property.

Hassan Hasram, father of eight, is a Syrian refugee living in Antakya.

Now, having lost his grandson and son-in-law in the earthquake, he has decided to return to Syria.

I cannot move to another province because of the huge increase in rent after the earthquake that hit most of the Turkish provinces. Also, my family is large and I will not be able to afford our expenses after I lost my workplace.”

Hasram told Al-Jazeera that he has no relatives other than his sister, who lives in a refugee camp near the Syrian-Turkish border, and that her tent will not be sufficient to house him and his family.

And so, between the choice of the tent he currently lives in, and taking the perilous journey to return to Syria, he decides to return home.

“Things are very bad in the camp [in Turkey]. “There is a serious shortage of aid, whether in terms of food, heating or even drinking water,” Hasram said. “Turkey is now part of the past, and I will never be able to go back again.”

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