Around one million people have returned to Syria nine months after the overthrow of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, according to the United Nations.
Since December, another 1.8 million internally displaced people have returned to their home regions, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The UNHCR warned that returnees face destroyed homes, damaged infrastructure, limited job opportunities and an unstable security situation. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called on the international community, private sector and Syrians abroad to step up support for the country's reconstruction.
"This is a rare opportunity to resolve one of the largest displacement crises in the world," Grandi said.
According to the UNHCR, more than 7 million people remain internally displaced in Syria, while over 4.5 million continue to live abroad as refugees. Survey data show that the vast majority of Syrian refugees hosted by Arab countries hope to return home.
Syria, home to roughly 23 million people, is now led by a transitional government headed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Al-Sharaa was the head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the rebel alliance that ultimately overthrew al-Assad in December of last year after a years-long civil war.
