European countries suspend asylum requests from Syrian refugees

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for “patience and vigilance” regarding the return of Syrian citizens to their country.

While Germany and other countries highlighted that they are paying close attention to the latest developments in Syria, Austria said it has already given instructions to “prepare an orderly program of repatriation and deportation” for the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

The arrival of migrants has become a sensitive issue in Europe, especially since the 2015 migration crisis, when tens of thousands of refugees arrived on the continent, including Syrians fleeing war in their country.

European Union (EU) countries have simultaneously registered the growth of ultra-rightist parties, driven by anti-immigrant rhetoric, such as Marine Le Pen’s National Regroupment (RN) party in France and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the neighboring country. .

The suspension of asylum requests came hours after a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) took Damascus and put an end to five decades of the Assad dynasty.

– “Uncertainty” –

Syria has been in civil war since 2011, when Assad’s government harshly repressed a wave of peaceful protests, resulting in a conflict that left 500,000 people dead and forced half the country to flee their homes.