{"id":116195,"date":"2026-03-15T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T08:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intersos.org\/?p=116195"},"modified":"2026-03-12T12:42:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T11:42:31","slug":"syria-the-silence-of-the-aftermath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intersos.org\/en\/syria-the-silence-of-the-aftermath\/","title":{"rendered":"Syria: The Silence of the Aftermath"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Head of Mission in Syria, Marianne El Kallassy, describes what Syria is today: a country suspended between a shattered past and a future that is difficult to discern. A country where the end of the war did not signal the end of the humanitarian crisis\u2014which is, instead, at an all-time high\u2014and where, in recent days, the ongoing crisis in the Middle East is having its repercussions.<\/h2>\n

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In Syria, walking through the streets of rural Hama, south Idlib or the outskirts of Damascus, you are struck by a silence that feels heavy, almost physical. After 15 years -we are talking about a humanitarian crisis that began in March 2011 with the war and did not conclude when the conflict ended in 2024- the people here are living in a state of “permanent temporary”, a life suspended between a home that no longer exists and a future they cannot yet see. There is a profound, bone-deep exhaustion here that transcends politics. It is the fatigue of a population that has forgotten what it feels like to live without a “defense mechanism” always engaged.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we navigate the first quarter of 2026, the humanitarian landscape in Syria is undergoing its most profound transformation in over a decade. For those of us on the ground, the narrative has shifted from a static conflict to a dynamic, albeit fragile, era of massive population movement and systemic transition.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the geopolitical headlines focus on new agreements and restored diplomatic ties, the humanitarian reality remains a race against time to support millions who are caught between a finished past and an uncertain future.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Displacement and humanitarian response<\/h3>\n

Despite the high volume of returns, the humanitarian community continues to monitor a complex reality of internal displacement. Volatile security conditions in localized pockets\u2014most recently observed in parts of the south and the coastal countryside\u2014have triggered secondary waves of movement, with over 128,000 individuals recently displaced across Aleppo and Al-Hasakeh governorates alone. These “waves” are often a survival response to localized escalations or the sudden loss of access to basic services. For organizations like INTERSOS, this necessitates a dual-track response: maintaining emergency readiness to provide immediate shelter, healthcare and protection for the newly displaced, while simultaneously scaling up long-term reintegration efforts. This fluidity reminds us that displacement in Syria is not yet a closed chapter, but an ongoing challenge requiring constant, neutral monitoring of protection risks.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Returns from Lebanon in recent weeks<\/h3>\n

The defining feature of 2026 is the scale of returns. Since the political shifts of late 2024 and throughout 2025, we have witnessed nearly 1.5 million refugees returning from neighboring countries, alongside 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) moving back to their areas of origin. In the last weeks, the conflict escalation in the Region, forced many Syrian refugees to return: a decision driven not by enabling conditions on the ground, but rather by having to escape for their life, as their homes have been bombed in Lebanon by the Israeli airstrikes and military operation.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, “returning home” is rarely a simple conclusion. Many return to find their houses in rubble, their lands contaminated by unexploded ordnance, and their local schools or clinics non-functional. At INTERSOS, our focus has pivoted toward immediate life-saving needs response through sustainable solutions:<\/span><\/p>\n