As many as 250,000 Syrian refugees could return to their homeland in 2019 despite massive hurdles facing them, the United Nations refugee agency said.
Some 5.6 million Syrian refugees remain in neighbouring countries, namely Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, Amin Awad, UNHCR director for the Middle East and North Africa, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
They include one million Syrian children born abroad whose foreign birth certificates the Syrian government has agreed to recognise, he said.
"We are forecasting ... up to 250,000 Syrians go back in 2019. That figure can go up and down according to the pace with which we are working and removing these obstacles to return," Awad stressed.
"Now, by and large, the war has ended. We have a few pockets [of hostilities], including Idlib, and there is a negotiated ceasefire and a de-escalation zone."
About 37,000 refugees returned to Syria this year, according to UNHCR figures. Awad said they went mainly to the governorates of Deraa, Damascus and Homs.
However, the most important obstacles to return remain documentation for the refugees and their property and homes, Awad said.
"Then there are issues related to conscription, there are issues related to amnesty for those who deserted the army. These are drivers that would basically keep people away, they are obstacles."
