Mowaffaq al-Khouja | Mohammad Deeb Bazt | Odai al-Haj Hussin
The humanitarian suffering of camp residents in Syria repeats itself every year, especially in the northwest, where crises deepen as winter arrives. The cold sets in over flimsy fabric tents that are not fit for harsh weather, while families who lack even the most basic necessities face additional financial burdens.
Even though the war and major fighting have ended across large areas, Syrians still hope to tear down the last tent. Yet that goal remains out of reach amid an economic crisis gripping Syria and Syrians, and towns and villages that remain destroyed or uninhabitable. Many residents saw their hopes of returning dashed after the fall of the former regime.
Amid these challenges, government initiatives aimed at closing the displacement file appear timid and disappointing to camp residents. For years, many had relied on aid groups and charities, which have also recently scaled back support, further worsening conditions.
In this dossier, Enab Baladi recounts the stories of camp residents who spoke about their suffering and day-to-day realities. It examines the obstacles preventing their return, why they remain in camps, and the roles of the government and humanitarian organizations, including their plans to dismantle the remaining tents and turn the page on years of misery that came to define Syria’s humanitarian image.
After “liberation”, tragedies still unfinishedcamp after finding his village, Qabr Fiddah (Hama Governorate, central Syria), barren and unfit for life. He decided to go back to Tajammu’ La’ajlikum Camp (literally “For You” Camp), located between the villages of Qah and Aqrabat (Idlib Governorate, northwestern Syria). There is no water, no bread, and no food baskets reaching residents. Some of the cement structures they built have also partially collapsed after snowfall in the area.
Teacher Ahmad (48 years old) lives in “Tajammu’ La’ajlikum” camp with his eight children. The family depends on a monthly salary of no more than $125. He told Enab Baladi about a hardship that returns every year, especially during the unforgiving winter and its compounded worries, which make life even harder for camp residents, whether they live in fabric tents or cement rooms that are hardly any better.
Beyond these struggles, Ahmad fears that the landowner hosting the camp will demand his land back, as happened with a neighboring camp whose residents were forced out and whose agricultural land was bulldozed. He wonders where he would go, especially in winter.
Ahmad’s family, his neighbors, and other camp residents also struggle to secure heating fuel, which is expensive. In its place, he burns old shoes, scraps of fabric, and anything else he can find.
Ahmad’s story resembles that of Bassam al-Abdo as well. He has remained in al-Karama camp with his four brothers and his parents, and complains of a lack of water and dwindling support in food baskets.
Bassam also lives with his eight children, including one who has reached the final year of secondary school (baccalaureate), on a salary that does not exceed $120.
Camp residents interviewed by Enab Baladi are calling for financial support, as well as help rebuilding the homes they fled and have been unable to return to.
Those residents also agreed that the activity of civil and relief organizations has declined since the fall of the Assad regime, as many of these groups shifted attention to broader files across Syria after their work had been largely focused on northwestern Syria.
While the government’s role in the camps has been limited to small projects, such as paving some roads or responding to emergency cases, displaced people are calling for a stronger role in their hometowns and cities of origin, one that would make return possible.
Difficult humanitarian conditions in al-Sharqiya camp in al-Bab city (eastern Aleppo Governorate, northern Syria), 9 January 2026 (Enab Baladi)
After liberation, camps still remain
After military operations in Syria ended following the fall of the former regime on 8 December 2024, Syrians hoped the tents, long a symbol of suffering over the past years, would be removed. But the issue resurfaces every winter, as storms intensify and temperatures drop.
Out of more than seven million displaced people in Syria, 1.79 million still live in 1,782 displacement camps in northwestern and northeastern Syria, according to a UN report issued in November 2025.
About 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line, and 70% are in extreme poverty.
Barriers to return, destroyed homes, the economy, and infrastructureThousands of displaced Syrians in northern camps now find themselves at a crossroads, a year after their towns were “liberated.” Safety is no longer the only condition for return. New complications have turned the dream of going home into something close to impossible.
“Liberation” has not yet freed the displaced from the constraints of their reality. A safe return remains tied to a comprehensive solution that combines physical reconstruction, the restoration of basic services, and an economic environment that allows life to be rebuilt.
Without that, camps will remain “temporary” in a cruel way, and the dream of return will keep melting away with every winter.
The dream of shelter
The vast urban destruction left by the war stands as a physical and psychological barrier to return. A home is not just walls and a roof, it is the first and most essential condition for any conversation about going back.
During a field visit by Enab Baladi to one camp in northern Syria, Suleiman Abu Dawoud (45), from Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria), summed up the irony by saying, “We left our homes as single young men. We got married and had families, and we will return to them today as heads of households, but the house no longer fits us.”
He added that the home that once sheltered them needs rehabilitation costing $4,000, a sum that is insurmountable under suffocating economic conditions.
Asri Bakr al-Zaher (52), another camp resident, told Enab Baladi that his family home was destroyed and flattened to the ground, and he lost everything he owned in furniture and belongings. He added that “the cost of refurnishing even a simple home and securing basic living needs has become astronomical compared to having no income at all.”
He asks, “Even if we rebuild the walls, where do we get furniture? How do we secure a livelihood when there are no job opportunities?”
In a similar vein, Ghadhban Abu Hamza shared a striking account of soaring real estate prices. “I sold my house before liberation for $6,000, but that same house today is worth more than $30,000,” he said, five times its previous value, lamenting the change and his inability to buy again or settle once more in his original area.
Two million homes damaged
Hundreds of thousands of homes in Syria were destroyed fully or partially by military operations, especially the shelling carried out by the former regime using artillery and tanks.
Abdallah al-Dardari, UNDP Assistant Secretary-General, said the number of homes destroyed fully or partially in Syria is nearing two million, including 375,000 completely destroyed homes and more than 1.5 million partially damaged homes.
Al-Dardari added that “the cost of rebuilding this number of housing units alone requires tens of billions of dollars,” not counting other affected sectors.
“Massive physical destruction is not the only loss,” he said, explaining that “the Syrian economy has suffered deep structural losses.” He noted that Syria’s GDP today does not exceed $30 billion, while earlier estimates suggested it should have reached $125 billion by 2025, meaning Syria has effectively lost more than three quarters of its expected economic capacity.
The cost of reconstructing damaged physical assets is expected to range between $140 billion and $345 billion, with a conservative estimate of $216 billion, according to World Bank estimates. Other estimates have gone higher, with Syria’s Minister of Economy and Industry, Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar, estimating the cost at $1 trillion.
This includes $75 billion for residential buildings, $59 billion for non-residential facilities, and $82 billion for infrastructure. Aleppo and Rural Damascus are expected to require the largest share of reconstruction investment, according to a World Bank report issued on 21 October 2025.
The economic nightmare
Amid the conditions facing displaced people in northern Syria’s camps, a growing loss of hope stands out about building an economic future in shattered hometowns. Daily life is extremely difficult, and the value of work erodes amid rampant costs that touch the most basic essentials.
Bashar al-Saad speaks about the reality of work in his area, noting that available jobs do not provide even a minimum of dignified living.
He says daily wages have become extremely low and do not match long working hours or the effort required.
“I work a full day for a wage that cannot provide even one meal for the family, so how can I return to my town under these conditions?” Bashar asks, as prices continue to rise while his income remains fixed.
He adds that a voluntary and safe return for displaced people cannot be achieved simply by the end of military operations. It requires livelihood security, starting with real job opportunities with fair wages, controlling the prices of basic goods, and supporting projects for returnees that enable them to rely on themselves.
Jassem al-Ali from the Aleppo countryside, who lives in one camp, describes another barrier that is both economic and service related. He told Enab Baladi he owns land in his village but cannot build because of licensing complications and their high cost.
“My dream hit a reality where the municipality imposes licensing fees of up to $500. I own the land, but I cannot lay a single stone on it,” Jassem said. “This huge amount equals the cost of building the rooms themselves, and I have none of it,” added Jassem, who struggles daily to secure a livelihood for his family.
Service paralysis
The state of services in newly “liberated” towns and villages has emerged as another obstacle confronting displaced people. Many places lack the most basic requirements of human life.
Between broken water networks, a complete power outage, and a health sector that wavers between improvement in city centers and near total absence in rural areas, Syrians in northern camps face two choices, either remain in a camp that offers no privacy or sense of home, or return to a house surrounded by rubble, with severe shortages in electricity and water and a fragile health sector.
In one northern camp, Manhal al-Ayyash (48) described the situation in his original area in the Hama countryside (central Syria) as “devastated in terms of services.” He told Enab Baladi, “Services are so bad they cannot be described. No water reaches homes, electricity is completely absent, and for me, returning to a house without water or electricity is effectively a death sentence for my children,” especially given the lack of any efforts to restore public facilities and infrastructure destroyed by the war.
Mohammad Hassan al-Abdullah, originally from the Homs countryside (central Syria), said, “We could not return, and we did not feel we were liberated. We only got rid of a criminal regime, but we did not taste victory because we did not go back. In my village and neighboring villages, no one returned, except for a few families. Services do not encourage return, there is no electricity, no water, no schools for children, and no medical services or health center.”
Suffering worsens at Yazi Bagh camp near Azaz (northern Aleppo countryside, northern Syria) as snow falls, 31 December 2025 (SANA).
Government and civil plans Goal: tearing down the last tentAs camp residents’ suffering carries over from one year to the next, cold weather is no longer the only problem. It has become a stark reminder of a deeper reality that goes beyond the season.
Camps that were originally established as a temporary solution for displaced people have, over time, turned into semi permanent settlements, where thousands of children and families live without real infrastructure, without clear safety guarantees, and without even the minimum stability.
In the post “liberation” phase, camps have emerged as one of the most sensitive and complex files, as they directly touch the state’s responsibilities toward its citizens. While there is talk of reorganizing cities and towns and rehabilitating damaged areas, the fate of hundreds of thousands of displaced people remains suspended inside tents that were never designed to withstand years of cold, rain, and heat, amid the absence of declared plans to close the camps or secure suitable housing alternatives.
This reality raises questions about the role of governorates and the Ministry of Social Affairs in managing this file, and about the policies used to deal with the camps. Are they seen as a transitional phase that should end, or as an established reality addressed through partial, seasonal measures? It also opens the door to debate about the limits of relying on relief organizations at a time when the humanitarian response is declining and the need is growing for clearer and more effective government action.
Gradual removal
In this regard, Abdul Rahman Junaid, deputy director of the Social Affairs and Labor Directorate in Idlib city, said the camps were not a natural choice for residents, but were imposed as a result of bombardment and displacement carried out by the former Syrian regime. He stressed that the approach is to treat them as an emergency, temporary phase, not a permanent solution.
In comments to Enab Baladi, Junaid said the ministry’s vision is to work toward gradually removing the camps through comprehensive national plans aimed at returning displaced people to safe and dignified housing, instead of continuing to rely on tents that have become a long term reality.
Regarding the current support provided to families living in the camps, Junaid said the programs include the periodic provision of basic necessities such as food and medicine, alongside winter campaigns that distribute blankets, heaters, and winter clothing.
He added that the ministry is also working to provide psychosocial support for children and women to help ease the effects of displacement, in addition to strengthening coordination with humanitarian organizations to ensure continued health and education services inside the camps.
On long term plans, Junaid said the Ministry of Social Affairs has adopted a national plan under the slogan “A Homeland Without Tents,” aimed at gradually eliminating camps by supporting reconstruction projects in damaged cities and towns and rehabilitating essential infrastructure, including water, electricity, and sewage systems, alongside encouraging the voluntary return of displaced people to their areas of origin.
“The national plan under the slogan ‘A Homeland Without Tents’ aims to eliminate camps gradually.”
Abdul Rahman Junaid Deputy director of the Social Affairs and Labor Directorate in Idlib
On coordination mechanisms, Junaid said the work is being carried out with governorates and relief organizations by forming joint committees and adopting unified databases to accurately identify beneficiaries, in addition to holding regular meetings to review implementation and assess gaps, with local communities involved in setting priorities.
Junaid said the main challenges include limited funding compared to growing needs, weak infrastructure inside camps, and heavy reliance on external aid, which creates additional challenges to the sustainability of the proposed programs and plans.
One of the rooms in al-Ashrafiyah village camp in the Hama countryside (central Syria), 5 January 2026 (Enab Baladi/Eyad Abdeljawad).
“Limited but necessary measures”
“The reality of camps spread across the governorate’s countryside reflects a prolonged humanitarian crisis. Limited reconstruction and shrinking relief support have further deepened the fragility of living conditions,” Junaid said.
He noted that thousands of families still rely on tents as a temporary solution, while the need continues to grow for more sustainable approaches to meet daily challenges.
On protecting residents from the risks of cold weather and flooding during winter, Junaid said the directorate, in coordination with local administrations and humanitarian organizations, has implemented a set of preventive measures. These include reinforcing earthen berms around camps, improving drainage networks in some locations, and distributing heating supplies and plastic insulation sheets. Although these steps are limited, he said they are necessary to reduce risks linked to harsh weather conditions.
Among the measures to protect residents from winter cold:
Reinforcing earthen berms Improving drainage networks Distributing heating supplies and plastic insulation sheetsOn resettling families, Junaid said there are projects proposed in cooperation with humanitarian organizations to support reconstruction in villages and towns, but funding covers only a small fraction of needs. This leaves tents as the prevailing reality for now, with efforts to expand these projects if additional support becomes available.
Junaid said responsibility is shared between the directorate and humanitarian organizations. The directorate carries the burden of coordination and oversight of the camps, while organizations play the larger role in delivering services and relief. He added that this overlap creates additional challenges in clarifying responsibilities and ensuring sustainable support.
As for camps that have effectively turned into permanent residential settlements, Junaid said the approach is limited to partial solutions, such as extending rudimentary sewage and water networks and relying on water tankers and electricity generators. He noted these measures fall short of the level of urban planning required, making the need for comprehensive infrastructure projects more urgent.
Aleppo Governor Azzam Gharib said, on the sidelines of the “Aleppo Sit al-Kol” event, that 2026 will not end before the governorate celebrates the removal of the last tent in camps spread across northern Syria, pointing to the government’s commitment to a gradual plan to close camps and return residents to safe and dignified housing.
A complementary role, not a primary one
As winter intensifies, camps are seeing a noticeable decline in humanitarian support compared to the growing scale of needs. Years of prolonged displacement have exhausted funding sources and narrowed response capacity, while the scope of intervention has widened to include still existing camps as well as damaged residential areas and communities facing difficult living conditions.
In this context, organizations face a compounded challenge: trying to fill gaps through seasonal campaigns and limited initiatives that often fall short of meeting the full need, yet remain a vital lifeline for thousands of families.
While efforts focus on reducing the impact of cold weather and securing the bare minimum for living, this assistance is constrained by limited resources, highlighting the heavy burden humanitarian groups carry in confronting a crisis that exceeds their ability to sustain a long term response.
Baraa Babouli, programs director at the Molham Volunteering Team, described this winter as one of the harshest for camps, amid repeated talk of snowstorms and cold waves. This comes alongside a clear decline in the volume of humanitarian support directed to displaced people after years of ongoing hardship.
In comments to Enab Baladi, Babouli said engagement with camp residents has become limited, whether in individual donations or international funding and humanitarian organizations. He noted the decline comes at a time when needs expanded after “liberation” to include new areas, from camps that still exist, to heavily damaged homes, to residents of cities facing difficult living conditions.
He said relief organizations are trying to fill some gaps through recurring campaigns and initiatives, but these efforts remain limited in impact and do not go beyond temporarily easing need. He argued that a lasting solution depends on the government’s role, by providing a suitable work environment, attracting investment, and creating job opportunities that enable families to rely on themselves, whether to repair their homes or meet basic needs.
Babouli added that camps require a different approach that goes beyond seasonal campaigns, by investing in real rehabilitation and construction projects that help return displaced people to their original homes and put an end to prolonged displacement that has, over time, become a permanent reality.
The team also works on projects to support displaced people’s return to their homes through the “Until the Last Tent” campaign, which aims to end camp suffering and return people to their houses so that not a single tent remains.
In addition, for the past three years the team has run the “Your Giving Is Warmth” campaign, which provides blankets, firewood, coal, and diesel to ease camp residents’ winter hardship, even if the means are modest.
A Long Road to Tearing Down Syria’s Last Tent Enab Baladi.
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