Syrians stay in camps a year after liberation

MORE than a year after Syria was liberated from brutal president Bashar al-Assad, Hisham Asmar still gets goosebumps as he recalls the moment he heard the dictator was gone.

- BY HANNA GEISSLER in Jordan

The 34-year-old moved to Turkey a decade ago, as the regime’s cruelty intensified. He now works as charity SKT Welfare's programmes director for the Middle East.

Hisham said: “Even after more than one year, we still think this is a dream because no one thought we would have this happiness. It’s something that cannot be described.”

The Assad family’s 53 years of repressive rule had a lasting effect, not only on Syria but on countries that took in a share of more than six million people who fled abroad.

We joined SKT Welfare on a week-long deployment to Jordan, as UK volunteers completed tasks including distributing food and cold weather supplies to Syrian refugees.

Governments around the world are increasingly encouraging Syrians to return to their homeland, cutting aid or even offering cash incentives. But many of those we spoke to were reluctant to return to an uncertain future.