Hundreds of refugees return to Syria from Lebanon

STORY: Driving trucks stuffed to the brim with their belongings, some 700 Syrian refugees living in Lebanon made their way home Wednesday (October 26).

It's the first day of repatriations organized by Beirut under a revived program.

We want to go back to our country, this man says. It's about time.

Lebanese authorities say the refugees are returning voluntarily, though some rights groups have expressed concern over potential coercion.

Lebanon is home to more than 800,000 Syrians registered with the United Nations (U.N.) refugee agency – down from 1.2 million at its peak.

They fled the violence unleashed in 2011 after protests against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

While the frontlines in the 11-year war are now largely inactive, the U.N. warns flare-ups in violence and the risk of detention makes large-scale returns to Syria unsafe.

In 2018 Lebanon launched a process to repatriate refugees after checking they were not wanted by Syrian authorities.

Around 400,000 Syrians took up the offer before the program was put on hold due to the pandemic.

Lebanon’s outgoing president, Michel Aoun, revived it this month.

Lebanese authorities say the repatriations, coordinated by the country's General Security agency, are voluntary.

Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have said some past returnees had been subject to rights violations.

And Amnesty has also said refugees may not have accurate or complete information about the level of risk in their hometowns.

Despite the uncertainty of what lies ahead, many, like Mohammad Rifai, say they are happy to return.

I have been here for nine years, he says, we are relieved to be going back to our country.