Bab al-Hawa crossing administration announced that the Turkish authorities had deported 1,777 refugees to Syrian territory during the month of April, bringing the number of deportees to 7,554 Syrians since the beginning of this year.
The number of refugees returning to Syria voluntarily through Bab al-Salama crossing reached 584 Syrians, while 14 others were subjected to forcible deportation due to their illegal entry into Turkish territory, according to the crossing’s administration data.
The number of Syrian refugees who voluntarily returned to the Syrian territories increased, before the curfew imposed by the Turkish authorities, which began on April 29 and extends until May 17, took effect. There were many reasons that led to their voluntary return recently, the most prominent of which was the suspension of their work that led to poor living conditions, in addition to the cancellation of the Eid vacation. Pictures of Syrian refugees waiting for their turn to submit requests for return have spread, after the temporary protection documents were handed over near the Wish Building in Narlja, in Hatay state, southern Turkey.
This comes after the Bab al-Hawa crossing announced that it would be closed to passenger traffic, from April 30 to May 16, due to the curfew imposed by the Turkish side, while the crossing remained open to commercial and relief truck movements. It is worth noting that voluntary return is the only way for Syrians with temporary protection documents to return permanently to Syria.