152 Syrians flown home from Libya: UN migration agency

The United Nations' migration agency on Thursday said it had flown home 152 Syrians from Libya, in the first such flight from the North African country this year. (AFP/File)

• IOM “on Wednesday facilitated the voluntary return of 152 Syrians in vulnerable situations from Libya to Damascus“
• Direct weekly flights between Damascus and Tripoli are set to resume next week

TRIPOLI: The United Nations’ migration agency on Thursday said it had flown home 152 Syrians from Libya, in the first such flight from the North African country this year.
The International Organization for Migration “on Wednesday facilitated the voluntary return of 152 Syrians in vulnerable situations from Libya to Damascus,” the agency said in a statement.
This marked “the first Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) flight to Syria organized by IOM since the beginning of 2025,” it added.
War since 2011 had devastated Syria, displacing millions both inside the country and abroad.
Over one million Syrian refugees have returned from abroad since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar Assad last December, according to the UN.
The IOM said Wednesday’s flight came “at the request of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
It said it has been “expanding its operations and services in Syria with the primary objective of supporting the country’s recovery after years of conflict and ensuring dignified and sustainable returns of Syrians.”
Direct weekly flights between Damascus and Tripoli, which have been suspended for over a decade, are set to resume next week, according to Syria’s aviation authority.
Libya is a key transit country for thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe by sea each year.
In August, the Syrian embassy in Tripoli reopened, after having been shut down since 2012, though it has been reported that it has not resumed consular services or full diplomatic representation.