Idlib, July 29 (SANA) A convoy carrying 94 displaced families left camps in Syria’s Idlib province on Wednesday for their hometown of Kafr Naboudeh in Hama province under a voluntary return program coordinated by local authorities, the U.N. refugee agency and humanitarian organizations.
The operation was overseen by the Idlib Governorate and the Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor in coordination with the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Muzun for Humanitarian & Development Organization, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the Directorate of Emergency and Disaster Management.
Munaf Hammam, UNHCR’s camp sector coordinator, said the convoy was part of the agency’s voluntary return program implemented with local partners.
The program provides transportation for returning families and their belongings, along with non-food relief supplies to support a safe and dignified return, Hammam told SANA. He said ensuring access to basic services would be essential to helping returnees resettle and achieve long-term stability.
Mohammad Baker, director of the Northern Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor, said the directorate had completed registration and transportation procedures to facilitate the return process.
He said authorities plan to assist the return of about 700 additional families to rural areas of Hama and Idlib beginning early next week, with around 100 families expected to return each day until the scheduled convoys are completed.
Mohammad Abdullah Qassem, one of the returnees, said he was returning to Kafr Naboudeh after 14 years of displacement. He said five members of his family were martyred during the war and that the availability of humanitarian assistance encouraged his decision to return.
Earlier this month, 314 families returned from displacement camps in northern Syria to their homes in southern Idlib and Hama under the same voluntary return program, which aims to support displaced families and promote stability in their communities.
R.H/Abd
