Syrian refugees look back over ten years in exile

Marking the tenth anniversary of the start of the Syrian civil war, in November and December Syrian exiles shared their stories under the tag #أنا_لاجئ (#Iamarefugee). These are some of their posts.

Everyone who has lived under bombardment knows the time gap they get before another flight of jets came their way. In the cold weather, under the fog, one by one, they came out of their homes and loaded their trucks with their belongings.

Women, children, old and sick heave themselves onto whatever transportation is available, while some onlookers, who still haven’t made up their minds to leave the place that they’ve always known as home, look on with their faces full of painful emotions.

As the trucks, tractors, lorries pass one by one, the women and children are seen looking back at their homes weeping and crying so hard. One last look, not knowing whether they will ever return back again, while they head on to be amongst the refugees in the uncertain future of living as a displaced person in one of the tents.

Yes I am a refugee. #Iamarefugee

Abbas…

The hashtag #أنا_لاجئ had 70 posts between 29 November and 1 December 2021. Quoted with permission

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This is an extract from an article published in the March 2022 edition of Reform

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