Syrian refugees in Lebanon still reluctant to go home Syrian refugees in Lebanon still reluctant to go home

8,000 Syrian refugees have returned to their home country since the beginning of the year. The return exodus was brought about by an agreement between Syria and Lebanon, where more than 1 million Syrians live. For President Assad, returning refugees are a political weapon to bolster his international credibility. However, the very presence of the dictator, as well as the lack of homes and jobs and the risk of being incarcerated, still keeps away many who would be otherwise happy to return. Laura Cappon spoke with some of them for us.

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Mohammed never smiles. Since his father and sisters went back to Raqqa, Syria, his life has become even more complicated and frustrating. Mohammed is 25, but he speaks like a 40-year-old man; since 2013, he has been living on a strip of land covered with tents and rubble that make up the Sarada refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

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“My father is not very happy that he went back to Syria. Jobs don’t last long, you only earn a few dollars a day,” he tells us. Some months ago his relatives reopened the family home in Raqqa, which was destroyed by the bombs they had fled. “My sisters are optimistic about it. One has even found a job at an international organisation, while the other has gone back to university. She had almost finished but her exam transcripts got lost, so she had to enrol in third year.”