Ninar Khalifa
Driven by hope and a deep longing for home, Hazem Hassan Marai Al-Hassan packed his belongings in Türkiye, leaving behind a stable life and a well-paid job to return with his wife and children to his hometown of Deir ez-Zor. Memories of the past and the desire to rebuild his life alongside his mother and siblings were the primary forces behind his decision to return after years of displacement. Yet, only a short time after resettling in the city, the dream he had carried with him began to unravel.
Speaking with visible disappointment, Hassan recalls: “When the Bashar al-Assad regime fell, I felt nostalgic for the beautiful past I shared with my family — something neither money nor the more developed lifestyle in Türkiye could replace. I knew the scale of destruction my city had suffered, but I never imagined that I would experience a new form of alienation while living in my own country.”
Today, Hassan is preparing to leave once again for Türkiye, where his family has already returned, escaping a city he describes as “dead and beyond recovery.” His decision is driven by the hope of securing greater safety, better living conditions, and improved educational opportunities for his family.
Hassan’s experience is far from unique. Rather, it reflects a wider reality confronting the city of Deir ez-Zor. Since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime on 8 December 2024, thousands of residents have returned to the city despite the extensive destruction and severe deterioration in public services and infrastructure that continue to define daily life there.
According to statistics from the Social Services Office in Deir ez-Zor, approximately 2,400 families have returned to the city over the past two years. Many were motivated by nostalgia and the hope of stability, only to find themselves confronted by worsening economic conditions, deteriorating services, and an increasingly fragile security environment.
The Security and Social Landscape
A growing sense of frustration has taken hold among returnees as the gap widens between their hopes for stability and the realities they encounter upon returning to Deir ez-Zor. The city continues to face profound challenges that not only undermine prospects for sustainable return but also leave returnees living in a fragile and insecure environment. Government efforts remain insufficient to meet basic needs or provide meaningful livelihood opportunities, largely due to limited institutional capacity and scarce resources.
Writer and journalist Rasha Al-Hussein describes the humanitarian and living conditions in Deir ez-Zor as deeply concerning, portraying the city as “exhausted and devastated, with its residents living below the poverty line.”
According to Al-Hussein, the primary challenges confronting returnees include access to housing and employment, in addition to social and behavioral barriers that complicate reintegration. Many returnees, she explains, face social stigma and discrimination, often being criticized for having “left the country and avoided the hardships of the crisis.”
She further notes that the security situation remains unstable due to “the continued presence of remnants of the former regime, opportunistic actors, and the weakness of security institutions,” factors that have discouraged many from returning. In some cases, families who returned chose to leave again shortly afterwards.
Ikram Mohammad Al-Mohammad, who had previously been displaced to the Hammar Al-Ali area, described the reality she encountered upon returning to Deir ez-Zor as “far worse than expected.” She explained: “Services in displacement areas were better than those currently available in the city because the infrastructure there had not been damaged, unlike what happened in Deir ez-Zor itself.”
Despite acknowledging certain positive developments — including the possibility of voluntary return, greater freedom of movement and expression without fear or restrictions, and a reduction in the intensity of security control compared to the years preceding the fall of the regime — Ikram stresses that returnees continue to face major obstacles, particularly the lack of employment opportunities.
She also highlights the weak institutional response to public complaints, attributing it to severe limitations in resources and operational capacity. In her view, Deir ez-Zor requires “a comprehensive restructuring process that encompasses both infrastructure and institutional systems” to create the conditions necessary for sustainable recovery and stability.
Destruction and Lack of Services Undermine Daily Life
Today, Deir ez-Zor stands as a city exhausted by the weight of its past, carrying the heavy legacy of widespread destruction caused by years of war, neglect, and long-standing marginalization. At the same time, it continues to struggle with the instability of the present amid the absence of clear and strategic government plans capable of leading the city toward meaningful recovery.
A returnee from Lebanon, who requested anonymity, described Deir ez-Zor as a “marginalized and forgotten” city. Upon returning with his family, he said he was shocked by the severe lack of resources despite the governorate’s wealth in natural resources.
Describing the difficulties he encountered, he explained: “I could not return to my home because the neighborhood was almost completely destroyed and no longer fit for living. I had to rent a house in the Al-Joura area despite the extremely high rents, which start at two million Syrian pounds. The cost of living is unbearable, and I have been unable to find work. I rely on financial support from my brother in Germany, but it only covers our expenses for a few days.”
He added: “Chaos dominates the city, and there is a clear security vacuum in some areas. Life in Lebanon was far better, but we returned in search of stability.”
Hassan, who had returned from Türkiye, also spoke about the obstacles that prevented him from settling permanently in Deir ez-Zor and ultimately pushed him to consider migration once again. He said: “I became deeply worried about my family because of reports of child abductions, the spread of drugs, corruption, theft, and the general security disorder. I was also shocked by the people now living in the neighborhood — I do not know them and cannot trust them. There has been a noticeable decline in social values and a clear abandonment of the positive customs and traditions we grew up with. There has been a demographic transformation affecting both the people and the places, along with the disappearance of everything beautiful I had hoped to find when I returned.”
Speaking about the state of public services, Hassan continued: “Electricity is almost non-existent, housing rents are extremely high, internet services are poor, and the education system is severely deteriorated, in addition to the collapse of healthcare services. I was unable to secure treatment for my wife in the maternity ward because of the disorder, neglect, and shortage of medicine in hospitals.”
Hassan also highlighted what he described as structural dysfunction within public sector recruitment, where obtaining employment has itself become a major obstacle. He explained: “I applied to ten government institutions, including military and security bodies, but each time I was rejected because I did not meet the required height criteria. I was shocked by the discrimination between residents from rural areas and those from the city, as well as by the expectation that young men seeking employment obtain recommendations from sheikhs.”
Today, Hassan finds himself confronting a city that no longer resembles the one preserved in his memory, overwhelmed by a profound sense of disappointment. He said: “What pushes me to leave is my loss of hope that my city will ever return to what it once was, especially amid the destruction of both homes and people, and the inability of the authorities to enforce the law or even regulate prices. I was also shocked that many figures associated with the former regime continue to occupy official positions, particularly within the security branches, after their status was regularized under the new government.”
Hassan concluded: “I always tried to focus on the positive side, but each time the darkness erased everything. Even the patriotic songs that once fueled my desire to return — I deleted them from my phone because I became deeply disillusioned.”
Government Responsibility
Government officials openly acknowledge the inadequacy of basic services available to returnees. Yahya Al-Salama from the Social Services Office stated that serious gaps remain in addressing essential needs related to healthcare, education, employment, and housing. He attributed these shortcomings to the extensive destruction of infrastructure — including schools and healthcare facilities — as well as the limited financial resources available to non-governmental organizations operating in the area.
Discussing the current programs targeting returnees, Yahya explained that a number of family-oriented medical services are being provided for children, women, and older persons, including medical consultations, laboratory testing, and access to medication. He also highlighted ongoing efforts to integrate children with disabilities into educational institutes, respond to their specific needs, and provide tailored awareness and psychosocial support sessions.
Yahya further outlined a series of future initiatives aimed at improving conditions for returnees. These include vocational guidance workshops and professional training programs designed to facilitate entry into the labor market; support for educational programs targeting school dropouts through partnerships with non-governmental organizations; strengthening emergency social response mechanisms; implementing a national strategy for the care of older persons; supporting survivors of gender-based violence while promoting women’s economic empowerment; ensuring integrated care for orphaned children and children deprived of family support; and enhancing the protection and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
He also noted that these efforts are being implemented in coordination with a range of local and international organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Development Program, Syrian Arab Red Crescent, ADRA, Sham Foundation, Basmah Furateyya Association, and The Syrian Forum, to support recovery and improve living conditions for returnees in Deir ez-Zor.
The Harsh Reality of Basic Services
Opinion surveys conducted by the Syrian Center for Public Opinion Studies (MADA) in October 2025 on public life in the post-Assad period revealed a sharp deterioration in security conditions, educational services, healthcare, and electricity provision. The surveys also highlighted the absence of effective solutions to property rights violations and the ongoing housing crisis in a city where destruction in some neighborhoods has reached 100 per cent. The total volume of rubble across Deir ez-Zor is estimated at approximately 75,000 tons.
In a separate report, the International Authority for Relief and Development (ANSAR) documented the escalating humanitarian and early recovery needs in Deir ez-Zor Governorate throughout 2025, attributing the crisis to years of conflict and large-scale displacement. The report notes that large numbers of residents have returned to areas lacking even the most basic services, creating what the organization describes as an extremely fragile humanitarian environment.
ANSAR emphasized the urgent need for immediate and sustainable interventions in the sectors of healthcare, education, water and sanitation, and agricultural infrastructure in order to support local stability and advance recovery efforts.
Similarly, the report titled “Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment in Deir ez-Zor 2025” (MSNA), issued in April of the same year by Totol for Relief and Development in cooperation with the Humanitarian Action Coordination Office (HAC), highlighted the severe deterioration of healthcare, education, and food security conditions in Deir ez-Zor city. According to the assessment, insufficient funding alongside persistent logistical and security challenges continues to obstruct recovery and reconstruction initiatives.
The report presents a comprehensive overview of humanitarian, service-related, and socio-economic conditions in Deir ez-Zor Governorate following years of war and displacement, with a particular focus on the circumstances of returnees, internally displaced persons, infrastructure, and essential public services.
According to the findings, “approximately 77 per cent of housing units in Deir ez-Zor city require rehabilitation or structural reinforcement. Many families are living in overcrowded conditions or residing in unfinished and damaged buildings. The city has also witnessed the highest rise in rental prices among all assessed areas.”
The report further notes a significant increase in poverty levels, stating that “50 per cent of households have lost at least one source of income, while the majority now rely on temporary daily labor or remittances as their primary means of survival. Food prices rose by as much as 50 per cent during the six months preceding the report, and 75 per cent of households have resorted to harmful coping strategies, including reducing food consumption and accumulating debt.”
Public services have also deteriorated dramatically. The report states that “58 per cent of residents depend on unsafe water sources because water supplied through the public network is irregular and insufficient due to electricity shortages and damaged infrastructure. The city is also experiencing severe sanitation problems, waste accumulation, and inadequate cleaning services, contributing to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and diarrhea. At the same time, healthcare facilities remain under immense pressure and continue to suffer from shortages of medical staff and essential equipment.”
The education sector presents an equally alarming picture. According to the assessment, “40 per cent of children is out of school — the highest proportion recorded among the areas included in the study — while schools continue to face severe shortages of teachers, educational materials, and logistical support.”
A Vision for the Recovery of Deir ez-Zor Through the Eyes of Its Returnees
Human rights assessments and field testimonies suggest that Deir ez-Zor remains insufficiently prepared to accommodate large-scale returns, given the widening gap between existing government plans and the actual needs of the population.
The city’s future stability and recovery are closely linked to the extent to which the fundamental demands of its residents are addressed. These demands revolve around three urgent and inseparable priorities: securing adequate housing, improving basic services and living conditions, and addressing social challenges in a manner that ensures a dignified and sustainable return for residents.
Returnees’ principal demands and aspirations for the recovery phase can be summarized as follows:
- Social Integration and Investment in Human Capital: Returnees emphasize the need to end their marginalization and to actively benefit from the skills, expertise, and experiences they acquired during displacement. They also call for community dialogue and awareness initiatives aimed at reducing tensions between returnees and residents and strengthening social cohesion.
- Economic Empowerment and Development Initiatives: Returnees stress the importance of direct financial support — including grants and soft loans — from both governmental bodies and humanitarian organizations to help establish small businesses and livelihood projects. They further call for broader employment opportunities targeting both educated and uneducated groups in order to improve living standards and stabilize local markets.
- Security and Access to Basic Needs: Returnees highlight the urgent need for humanitarian assistance that takes into account their exceptional circumstances, alongside strengthening security conditions and improving access to essential public services.
Journalist Rasha Al-Hussein attributes the slow pace of recovery to what she describes as a misalignment of governmental priorities that continues to obstruct reconstruction efforts. In her view, “the responsible authorities are prioritizing cosmetic projects, public squares, and poorly planned expenditures instead of directing support toward rehabilitating destroyed homes and government facilities to address the worsening housing crisis.”
She further argues that these challenges are compounded by “the absence of rapid government response plans and dedicated budgets, the continued marginalization of the city, and the appointment of unqualified or ineffective individuals to key decision-making positions.”
Ultimately, the future of Deir ez-Zor depends on the ability of government authorities to formulate a comprehensive reform vision and translate it into practical action, while fostering meaningful coordination with local and international organizations. Only through such efforts can return cease to be a risky journey marked by disappointment and instead become the foundation for a stable and dignified life after years of conflict and suffering.
