The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Syrians migration | Unprecedented wave of migration to Egypt and more attempts for reaching Europe from Turkey

Like a beehive, the migration and visa buildings are crowded in the Syrian provinces with queues of Syrians who desire taking a visa to leave the country for different directions, mostly to Egypt, because it is one of the few countries that receives Syrians in a scene that is similar to the Syrian largest wave of migrations in 2013.

This time the migration is getting more difficult and with higher costs than before, an indication that the country is no more good for living amid the ruling current regime

Recently, visa requests to Egypt increased due to the easiness to get it while the country has been suffering economic crisis that reached its peak.

According to SOHR sources, the requests for migration to Egypt are unbelievable and the air reservation from Syria to Egypt area booked for two months and new reservations are not available.

Not just to Egypt, dozens of young men and families who seek migration enter the factions-controlled areas in north west and north east Syria to flee the regime security grip and the hard living conditions aiming to reach Turkey despite of the obstacles imposed by the Turkish government on the Syrians who desire to enter, but most of them consider Turkey as a crossing station to Europe in illegal way despite the rising costs and the difficult conditions for reaching Europe.

On Sept. 11, Despite the repeated calls by the Syrian regime for the return of refugees, who left Syria in the past years, fleeing from the war and the regime’s strict security measures and repression, and despite the efforts by regime media and countries supporting the Syrian regime to show that Syria has become free of terrorism and turned into a safe place to live in, after the regime’s control of more than two thirds of the country, the number of refugees who have been forced to return to Syria due to difficulties they have faced in asylum countries, particularly countries neighbouring Syria is too few.

In this context, Syrian Observatory activists have monitored that the displacement of civilians from regime-held areas is escalating alarmingly, as this wave is similar to the earlier major displacement wave which has reached its peak in the period between 2012 and 2016. However, the recent wave is away from media unlike the previous wave. According to SOHR sources, a large number of civilians, especially craftsmen merchants and university graduates, have left to Egypt in the past few months, as well as the start of another major waves of displacement of Syrian civilians to Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Sudan and some Gulf States.

SOHR sources have also confirmed that tens of young men and families leave to areas under the control of opposition factions in north-west and north-east Syria on a daily basis in order to reach Turkey. Despite the strict security measures against the Syrians who attempt to enter Turkish territory, tens of Syrian people manage to enter Turkey daily. These people aim to reach European countries where they can seek asylum, disregarding the risks they may face on the routes used for smuggling and the large sums of money they pay to smugglers.

It is worth noting that some of the Syrian people who have fled to Egypt intended to continue their way to Libya in order to find a way to Europe by sea. The recent major wave of civilians’ displacement from regime-held areas indicates to the people’s fear of the deteriorating security and economic situation in Syria, as well as the acute shortage of basic essentials.