Lives in a holding pattern

Syrian refugees who fled civil war are increasingly unwelcome in the countries that took them in. But they face going home to renewed violence and a devastated economy.

- BY ANDREW GUNN

The sudden toppling of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024 marked the end of what was widely regarded as one of the world's most brutal dictatorships. It also marked the end, at least on paper, of the Syrian Civil War, which started in 2011 in the early days of the Arab Spring. Over 13 years, more than 13 million people were displaced, about half of whom left the country as refugees. Some 657,000 are estimated to have been killed.

Hardline Sunni Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) previously held a modest sliver of the country in the northern Aleppo and Idlib provinces. HTS led the lightning offensive against Assad's forces and took up residence as a transitional government.

The group is led by Ahmed al-Sharaa. In a head-spinning turn of fate, on November 10, Sharaa – who spent five years in US custody due to his involvement with Al-Qaeda in Iraq – became the first Syrian head of state received at the White House.

Bashar al-Assad's swift retreat from the country to Russia one year ago was met with huge celebrations by many Syrians. It was felt al-Sharaa, despite his background, was a pragmatist prepared to separate religion and politics to a certain extent. He was tasked with governing an extremely diverse society. But despite his outwardly pluralist rhetoric, the reality on the ground is significantly more complicated. This is especially the case for Syria's myriad religious minorities.