The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.
“We are not promoting large-scale returns; the communities frankly are just not ready to absorb the people who are displaced and would come home…it will overwhelm the country,” said Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). “Many have returned to find their find their homes reduced to rubble,” she noted.
Speaking in Geneva shortly after returning from Damascus where she held talks with representatives of the caretaker authorities, Ms. Pope described how 14 years of war had destroyed “hospitals, schools, community centres” and much else.
“Rebuilding homes is just one part of the solution, but [Syrians] also need access to healthcare and essential services to feel secure and lay the foundations for recovery.”
