Syrian Refugees - History

History

The Syrian refugee problem began unfolding in April 2011, when the Syrian government used lethal force to crackdown on anti-government protests. The flow of refugees intensified with the military siege of Talkalakh in May 2011 and the military siege of Jisr al-Shughour in Idlib province in June. As a result of these military actions, thousands of Syrian citizens fled across the border to Lebanon and Turkey. By early July 2011, 15,000 Syrian citizens had taken shelter in tent cities, set up in the Yayladağı, Reyhanlı and Altınözü districts of Hatay Province, near Turkey’s border with Syria. By the end of the month, 5,000 of the refugees had returned to Syria. By late June 2011, The number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon had reached around 10,000 people. By mid July 2011, the first Syrian refugees found sanctuary in Jordan, with numbers reaching 1,500 by December.

In early 2012, the number of Syrian refugees swelled to some 20,000 UNHCR registered refugees in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan, with possibly 10,000 more being unregistered. In the April 2012 offensive by the Syrian Army, which preceded the expected ceasefire on 10 April of the Kofi Annan peace plan, the flow of refugees into Turkey reached a peak, with as many as 2,300 refugees entering on 4 April and 2,800 refugees entering on 5 April. The number of Syrian refugees in Turkey reached 23,835 by 6 April. In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu demanded Assad keep his promise to cease military operations, while demanding action by the international community and the UN if more refugees came.