International Organization for Migration

Syrians wait to cross into Syria from Türkiye at the Öncüpınar border gate, near the town of Kilis, southern Türkiye, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.

Approximately 100,000 refugees have returned to Syria from neighboring countries since opposition fighters overthrew Syria's strongman Bashar al-Assad, the head of the U.N. migration agency estimated on Dec. 18.

Debates over the asylum claims of Syrian refugees in our country and across Europe have been sparked from the first moment the fall of the Assad regime. The asylum application process is temporarily “frozen” for thousands of Syrians who are in our country, as the main argument for their asylum applications, persecution by the Assad regime, may be unfounded.

Bulgaria has approved humanitarian aid amounting to 929,019 leva to support Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Armenia. This assistance will be offered as voluntary contributions through international organizations, as confirmed by a recent government decision.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the Commission plans to introduce new legislative measures aimed at facilitating the return of illegal migrants. Migration was a key issue during the European leaders' meeting that concluded last night. She noted that currently, only 20% of those not eligible to stay in the EU are being returned to their countries of origin.

The U.N. on Sept. 27 decried the escalation in Israeli attacks targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon as "catastrophic," warning the country was facing its deadliest period in years.

"The recent escalations in Lebanon are nothing short of catastrophic," said Imran Riza, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon.

More than 3,300 illegal immigrants in two months, in June and July, have been rescued by the Hellenic Coast Guard in 171 incidents in the Aegean Sea. Among them, 117 traffickers were identified and arrested while 60 boats were seized.

A ship carrying over 2,400 tons of humanitarian aid left the Turkish port of the southern province of Mersin on Saturday, bound for the war-torn African nation of Sudan.

The head of the UN migration agency said Thursday it has taken in hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding and diversified its donor base - an announcement that comes as aid groups have struggled to get needed money.

Three bodies have been recovered near the site of a migrant shipwreck between Italy and Greece from which more than 60 people were reported missing, a spokesperson for the Italian coast guard said on Tuesday.