Enab Baladi – Yamen Moghrabi
Since March 2011, thousands of Syrians have flocked to the roads in dozens of cities, towns, and villages across Syria, where they fought back against anxiety and were united by “hope” for the overthrow of the government and forging ahead. However, the government’s machine worked on weakening the people’s will through imprisonment, assault, bombing, and even by instigating strife and provoking shared fear among various components of the country’s cultural spectrum.
With the onset of hostilities, hundreds of Syria whose cities were bombed sought refuge in neighboring nations and afterward in Europe, with the main reason being to avoid being shot and detained by the Syrian government forces.
Decades later, in 2024, emigration has never stopped, with differing factors and intentions, and Syria is no longer the state its people knew. There was a spatial division under the de facto government in four different places as a result of intense life, economic, and political problems that divided over the simplest information.
In spite of all these circumstances and the country’s current sector, the majority of Syrians there may share a common dream: multiculturalism and traveling to a country that offers hope for a better coming, whether that be forever moving to one of the European nations or to neighboring nations, in particular Iraq or the UAE, in search of work.
After political reasons, fleeing war and violence were the primary motives for the migration of hundreds of thousands, living conditions, economic circumstances, and basic services have also become a leading reason.
Military service and security
” This country is unlivable, if I had the money I would travel and never stay”, Huda al- Hamad, from the city of Qamishli, northeast Syria, told Enab Baladi.
She added that because of the challenging circumstances surrounding the Syrians, immigration has become the dream of every Syrian living in Syria.
Al- Hamad is not the only one who, like Enab Baladi, has encountered this thought; it also applies to Abdul Aziz al- Mutlaq, a 23-year-old college of science student in the city of al- Hasakah.
Al-Mutlaq wants to travel as soon as he completes his studies, using all means of communication, given that, in addition to security concerns and difficult living conditions, emigrating from the country has become the only way for young people to avoid being required to serve in the military, whether they are with the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF) or the regime.
Despite the current difficult circumstances, al- Mutlaq has already planned his emigration, traveling to Turkey, then to Bulgaria, and then to Germany. The cost of this journey is estimated at around 15, 000 US dollars.
He told Enab Baladi that his current financial situation prevent him from moving to the United States, which may require that his parents sell the grocery store they own in order for him to secure his destination.
Al- Mutlaq is willing to wait until he finishes his university studies before moving abroad, as two of his brothers have already immigrated to Germany and Austria.
Economic motives
Mohammed al-Jadaa, who is 29 years old, works as a day laborer and makes about 50, 000 Syrian pounds, according to Enab Baladi, who claims that what he earns “does not satisface the basic needs of his family of five.”
Al Jadaa expressed his desire to immigrate, but getting the money needed to do this has become challenging because he owns nothing that can be sold to pay the travel expenses, and he has no choice but to borrow with a delayed payment, which would mean double the amount owed upon repayment.
Youssef ( 25 years old ) from northwest Syria’s Idlib province has a similar situation, and he told Enab Baladi that despite the risks of crossing the border, he is anticipating a new opportunity to enter Turkey and cross there to Europe thanks to the tightened measures taken by the Turkish border guards.
According to Youssef, the main motive for immigration is the economic factor in the first place, and the absence of a clear future perspective.
The daily pay for Idlib residents is not greater than 100 Turkish liras ( roughly three US dollars ).
One million Syrian pounds ( 71.5 % of the national average ) are the minimum wage for employees in areas under the control of the Syrian Interim Government ( SIG ) in the northern and eastern provinces of Aleppo, Tal Abyad, and Ras al-Ain, while the minimum wage for those in areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria ( AANES ) is one million US dollars ( 71.5 % ).
Poverty rates amount to 90 % among Syrians, and 70 % of the population, i. e., about 15 million Syrians, need humanitarian aid, according to UN figures.
The world’s largest humanitarian aid appeal is estimated to be$ 11.1 billion, which is the largest ever amount. Water security is also lacking because Syria is one of the nations that is most susceptible to drought.
Syrians formed the largest group of asylum applicants, according to the European Union Agency for Asylum ( EUAA ) data, having submitted 181, 000 asylum applications, registering an increase of 38 % compared to 2022.
Syrians ranked first in asylum applications submitted to Germany since the beginning of 2024, with a total of 14, 456 asylum applications, among them 14, 024 first- time asylum applications, and 432 follow- up requests.
According to data released by the EUAA on February 28, asylum applications in the European Union increased by 18 % in 2023.
Four similar geographies
The Syrians ‘ circumstances within the various control areas do not differ significantly, giving them a common cause to consider leaving the nation.
Today, Syrians within the country live in four geographical areas, with the regime controlling the largest territory, which includes major provinces such as the capital Damascus, Aleppo the economic capital, and the provinces Homs, Hama, and all the coastal cities, with limited influence in the south in As- Suwayda and Daraa, and in the northeast in Deir Ezzor.
Meanwhile, Hayat Tahrir al- Sham ( HTS ) controls the province of Idlib and some of its villages and villages in the Latakia countryside.
The SDF maintains control of the majority of the areas east of the Euphrates River in northeast Syria, while the majority of the areas east of the river are under the control of the Interim Government and Syrian National Army ( SNA ) affiliates supported by Turkey.
Rola, a married mother of three from the Damascus district known as al-Salihiyah, told Enab Baladi that the idea of emigration has been bothering her for years. She applied for a tourist visa at the French embassy in Beirut four years ago, but her application was turned down.
Rola took the chance of sending her 15-year-old son to the Netherlands via Libya and then Italy. Shortly after his arrival, he applied for family reunification, and she is still waiting for approval to join him.
Rola noted that everyone’s security and living conditions have deteriorated, especially as prices have increased significantly and there is more corruption everywhere. Rola worries that future events could turn out much worse or that European decisions might be made to stop further immigration.
Samir, a 55-year-old resident of the al-Qusour neighborhood in Homs, claimed that despite his health issues, he would not be able to travel.
Samir had to have surgery because of his heart condition in 2014. After ten years, he decided to migrate through Libya to Europe. He has already sold his home and is awaiting travel until the winter months are over.
Samir mentioned that waiting to be free of a life sentence akin to prison is incredibly exhausting.
The Syrian Salvation Government ( SSG) in Idlib pays between 80 and 110 dollars, while the minimum government salary in areas under its control is 279, 000 Syrian pounds ( roughly 20 USD ).
Mohammad discusses the daily anxieties and potential problems with the migration process. However, with a flimsy comparison, the risks of thinking are much greater than those of living in Syria. This country is no longer suitable for human habitation, amid corruption, increasing repression, and difficult economic life, as he told Enab Baladi.
In the recent months of 2023, Cyprus saw a 60 % increase in the number of migrants arriving by boat, with the majority of them Syrians crossing Syria and Lebanon.
According to a study conducted by the Press and Media Office and supported by the Ministry of the Interior in the Greek Republic of Cyprus, 5 % of asylum seekers are from Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon, and the majority is from those who come from Northern Turkish Cyprus.
A survey study conducted by the Operations and Policy Center ( OPC ) on May 5, 2021, attempted to understand the motivations behind some residents of Damascus city outside of Syria and the factors that reinforce this bias, which coincide with Syrian areas experiencing an extraordinary decline in living standards.
The vast majority of respondents expressed their desire to immigrate from Syria, with a percentage higher than 63 %, while those who do not have the desire to immigrate made up 36.5 %.
According to the Operational Data Portal of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR ), 3, 760 people were reported missing and dead in the Mediterranean over the past year.
According to the most recent statistics, the International Organization for Migration ( IOM) reported that in the central and eastern Mediterranean on January 29th, 2024, approximately 100 migrants died or vanished.
The organization further stated on its official website that the number had more than doubled in the previous year’s time frame.
