Syrians displaced by war are returning to find homes occupied by foreign fighters

"Barrel bombs and constant shelling caused his family and most of the residents of his village, Al Ghassaniyeh, to flee during the second year of the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011. Some stayed, even as Sunni Islamist rebel groups moved in but they too left after the priest in this historically Christian village was killed. Ibrahim is one of an estimated 7.4 million Syrians displaced within the country during the war. About 6 million fled abroad as refugees."

"But after the old regime was ousted last December, Ibrahim and other Syrians started trickling back to their family houses. Some of them were in for a surprise. They found strangers living in their homes. Some were other displaced Syrians. Many were rebel fighters from other countries. "If people want to go back to their houses, they cannot live there. Their houses are taken over by somebody else," says Ibrahim, 65. "We cannot live side by side with them." Now, nearly a year after the end of war, sorting out what belongs to whom after the chaos of war remains a pressing issue."

Abdallah Ibrahim returned to Al Ghassaniyeh after 14 years and harvested olives, relieved his stone and concrete house stood. Barrel bombs and shelling forced his family and most villagers to flee early in the civil war; some who stayed left after the village priest was killed. An estimated 7.4 million Syrians were displaced internally and about 6 million fled abroad. After the old regime was ousted last December, many began returning and discovered strangers occupying homes, including other displaced Syrians and foreign rebel fighters. Officials urge refugees and internally displaced people to return to clarify property ownership and to reassure minority communities such as Christians and Shiite Muslims that they can reclaim homes, but resolving ownership remains a pressing challenge.

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