18,000 Syrians returned home since December 8 – minister

AMMAN — About 18,000 Syrians have returned to their homeland since the fall of Bashar Al Assad's regime on December 8, Interior Minister Mazen Faraya said on Thursday, noting that this includes 2,300 UN-registered refugees who left camps and urban areas in Jordan.

In statement to the government-owned Al Mamlaka TV Faraya said despite this movement, the Ramtha border crossing with Syria's Daraa region remains closed to traffic following recent inspections." There are no plans to reopen the crossing for the time being."

Previously, Jordan closed the Jaber border crossing, which is adjacent to Syria's Nasib crossing, on December 6 due to heightened security concerns in southern Syria. Since then, the Ministry of Interior has issued travel regulations for selected groups that are permitted to use the Jaber crossing under certain conditions.

Permitted groups include Jordanian investors with registered commercial capital, bank employees working in Syria, and businessmen who are members of Syrian chambers of industry and commerce.

In addition, Jordanian students enrolled at Syrian universities are allowed to cross, provided they have the necessary academic documents. Official Jordanian delegations, including economic missions, are also permitted.

For Syrians, access is granted to investors and their families holding Jordanian business registrations, as well as Syrians who have obtained Jordanian citizenship.

The ministry emphasized that these measures aim to facilitate economic cooperation, increase commercial activity and support stability in Syria.

The updated travel policy went into effect on Sunday, December 22, 2024.

According to official figures, Jordan is home to around 1.3 million Syrians, including nearly 660,000 refugees registered UNHCR, out of more than 5 million Syrian refugees in Jordan and neighboring countries.

In Jordan, UNHCR data showed that 657,000 Syrian refugees are registered with the agency. Around 177,070 are in Amman, 158,585 in Mafraq, 108,826 in Zarqa and 135,535 in Irbid.