Will 'Loyalty to Idlib' Succeed in Securing the Return of a Million Displaced Persons to Their Villages?

SadaNews - On September 26, last month, the "Loyalty to Idlib" campaign was launched under the auspices of the governorate, with wide participation from official and civil figures, including the Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara, who returned from the sessions of the United Nations General Assembly to witness this event.

The campaign was not just an initiative to collect donations, but a vision to rebuild a devastated life aimed at securing the return of more than one million displaced persons living in over a thousand camps in the countryside of Idlib, where they face the harshness of winter without safe shelter or basic services.

It achieved success by raising 208 million dollars in just a few hours, making it the largest reconstruction campaign in the country so far. Among the donations, a symbolic contribution of 100,000 dollars from the residents of the Gaza Strip stood out, in a gesture of humanitarian solidarity between the Syrian and Palestinian peoples.

Harsh Conditions

However, nearly a year after the fall of the Syrian regime and the formation of a new government, conditions in Idlib remain catastrophic, with more than a million displaced persons living in scattered makeshift camps across its countryside, lacking even the basic necessities for a decent life. As winter approaches, their suffering increases as they face severe cold and heavy rain in tattered tents, without adequate heating or health and educational services.

The halt of most humanitarian organizations from providing support to the camps and their shift of efforts to other regions has further isolated the displaced and exacerbated their tragic situation.

While these camps were originally temporary solutions and housing, they have become a permanent reality for many. With winter temperatures dropping below freezing in some areas, staying in them poses a direct threat to the lives of children and the elderly in particular.

Moreover, the infrastructure in Idlib's villages and cities is not in a better state, as it includes about 800 destroyed schools, a few health centers operating at limited capacity, and almost non-existent water and sewage networks in most areas, in addition to 250,000 houses and 437 mosques in need of restoration or rebuilding.

These conditions make the return to the villages a distant dream for the displaced, especially in light of the extreme poverty that most of them suffer from after years of displacement.

Campaign Goals

According to the governor of Idlib, Mohamed Abdul Rahman, the funds raised by the campaign will be directed towards rehabilitating vital sectors by rebuilding schools, equipping health centers, and repairing infrastructure such as water and sewage stations and lighting roads, "but the ultimate goal is to enable the displaced to return to their villages and build a decent life."

For his part, Mohamed Akta, the president of the campaign, stated, "We aim to secure the needs of essential sectors that will enable people to return to their villages, whether they are health centers, schools, or water stations. Each area has its priorities, and we will allocate funds based on these needs."

Akta added that "Loyalty to Idlib" is the first phase of a long-term plan comprising three phases, where the second will involve building partnerships with international organizations to implement service projects, while the third phase will focus on attracting investments to support the local community. He noted that Idlib needs more than 3 billion dollars for complete reconstruction, making the 208 million dollars "a crucial initial step."

For his part, displaced person Ammar al-Yusuf spoke about the major obstacles preventing camp residents from returning to their villages, stating that these include the collapse of infrastructure and the lack of basic services in the villages such as sewage, schools, electricity, and water.

The most important factor for him is the deteriorating financial situation of the displaced, many of whom have spent 14 years in displacement, including 5 years in camps in southern Idlib, which has completely depleted their financial resources. He emphasized, "People live in extreme poverty, and they do not have the money to rebuild their destroyed homes, which have turned to rubble."

Al-Yusuf added that many displaced persons have begun to return to their demolished homes, where they are trying to repair what they can and set up tents for shelter next to the rubble, in an attempt to restore their lives despite the harsh conditions.

Displaced Persons' Suffering

For his part, displaced Ahmad Mahmoud (42 years old) from a camp in northern Idlib expressed his suffering, saying, "The coming winter scares us. The tent we live in is torn, and the rain seeps in every night. We have no heater or fuel. My children are shivering from the cold, and there are no hospitals nearby if they get sick. Our village is destroyed, and we cannot afford to repair our home."

He added, "After 10 years of displacement, we have nothing left. We want to return, but how? There is no water or electricity, not even walls to shelter us from the cold. Last winter was harsh, and we lost many clothes and blankets due to flooding in the camp."

As for the displaced person Mohamed Diya, he stated, "We say we want to return after liberation, but everyone should return to their country and village. I do not have a house, and we do not even have money for transportation. Poverty kills people, not just me, but all the residents of the camps. The situation there is very bad; three-quarters of the people sleep without food except for bread because they can barely buy a loaf."