42,675 Syrians returned home - Ministry

AMMAN — Over 42,675 Syrians in Jordan have returned home since the fall of Bashar Al Assad’s regime on December 8, the Ministry of Interior said on Wednesday. 

In a report, cited by Al Rai News Paper, the Interior Ministry noted that 7,117 Syrian refugees voluntarily left camps in Jordan to return to Syria, while 35,558 Syrians left from various regions of the kingdom, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

On December 6, 2024, Jordan decided to close the Jaber border crossing, which faces the Syrian Nasib border crossing, due to security conditions in southern Syria. 

Permitted groups include Jordanian investors with registered commercial capital, bank employees working in Syria and businessmen who are members of Syrian chambers of industry and commerce.

Jordanian students enrolled at Syrian universities are also allowed to cross, provided they have the necessary academic documents. Official Jordanian delegations, including economic missions, are also permitted.

For Syrians, access is granted to investors and their families holding Jordanian business registrations, as well as Syrians who have obtained Jordanian citizenship.

The ministry emphasised that these measures aim to facilitate economic cooperation, increase commercial activity and support stability in Syria.

The updated travel policy went into effect on Sunday, December 22, 2024.

According to official figures, Jordan is home to around 1.3 million Syrians, including nearly 660,000 refugees registered with UNHCR, out of more than 5 million Syrian refugees in Jordan and neighbouring countries.

In Jordan, UNHCR data showed that 657,000 Syrian refugees are registered with the agency. Around 177,070 are in Amman, 158,585 in Mafraq, 108,826 in Zarqa and 135,535 in Irbid.