Hundreds of Syrian refugees crowded into a local travel agency in Libya on Saturday, seizing the opportunity to claim free tickets to Damascus, according to AFP.
Over 700 Syrians, many of whom had fled Syria during the civil war and spent several years in Libya, poured into the agency to secure travel documents and free tickets.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry has assigned this agency to oversee the process of returning Syrian citizens who are eager to restore their livelihoods after the overthrow of Al-Assad’s regime that has torn Syria apart.
Since the ministry first announced the offer, thousands of refugees have taken advantage of it.
“Today, Syria is finding peace and is in a better situation than before. We’re returning to our country, thank God,” Rami Hassun, who fled Idlib province in 2020 because his life was in danger, told AFP.
Upon return, “we will strive to work and rebuild everything, given the scale of the destruction,” said Mahmud Nasr al-Din, who has been in Libya for three years.
A delegation from Damascus has symbolically reopened the embassy in Libya since mid-August. However, the embassy does not provide any consular services.
Despite the fact that there is no official census of Syrians in Libya, Libya has been a home for thousands of Syrian families for decades. Moreover, it has welcomed many more after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, drawn by the hope of crossing the Mediterranean and reaching Europe.
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