The Jordanian Interior Ministry has said that the number of Syrians who have left the Kingdom’s territory via the Nasib border crossing has reached 153,000 people.
The Ministry added in a statement published on its website on Tuesday that since the opening of the crossing between the two countries on Oct. 15, 2018, about 153,000 Syrians had left Jordanian territory for Syria, including 33,000 people holding “refugee” status, who had been registered with the UNHCR.
According to the Jordanian Interior Ministry statement, those returning via the Nasib crossing, chose to return “voluntarily” without pressure from the Jordanian government. The statement said that, “Jordan has complied with the principle of voluntary return of Syrian refugees and facilitated the necessary measures for them to leave the Kingdom.”
Jordan and Syria announced in October 2018 that the Nasib border crossing had been reopened years after it was closed due to security conditions and fighting between Assad’s forces and rebel groups who had taken control over the area. But the Syrian regime carried out a military campaign in mid-2018, and took control over the crossing, which was reopened months after the military campaign.
The Syrian regime has repeatedly promoted the return of Syrian refugees from Jordan through the Nasib crossing, but the UNHCR says that the number of those returning is much lower than the numbers published by the Syrian regime.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
