EUAA COI Report. Country Focus

English

The purpose of this report is to provide relevant information for the assessment of international protection status determination, including refugee status and subsidiary protection, and in particular for use in updating EUAA’s country guidance development on Syria.

The report covers the period of August 2022 – August 2023, and provides a limited update of selected sections previously addressed in the EUAA COI reports: Syria - Targeting of individuals (September 2022) and Syria - Targeting of individuals (March 2020) as well as an update of the EUAA COI report: Syria - Socio-economic situation in Damascus city (September 2022). This report should be read in conjunction with the EUAA COI report: Syria – Security situation (September 2023).

The drafting of this report was finalised on 31 August 2023. Any event taking place after this date is not included in this report.

This report was jointly drafted by the EUAA COI Sector together with:

Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD).

The following departments and organisations have reviewed respective parts of this report:

- Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, Country of Origin Information Department

- France, Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA), Information, Documentation and Research Division

- Sweden, Swedish Migration Agency, Country of Origin Information, Section for Information Analysis.

This report was written according to the EUAA COI Report Methodology (2023) and the EUAA COI Writing and Referencing Guide (2023).

Policy

Since 2011, Syria has been involved in a bloody, internal armed conflict which has resulted in a very high number of victims, displaced persons and refugees. The opposing parties do not spare the civilian population. Every day, on a large scale and in the most barbaric manner, both the Syrian army and the armed opposition forces violate international humanitarian law and human rights. In many cases, civilians are targeted for ethnic or religious reasons or because they are perceived to be part of another political movement.

In recent years, the Syrian army managed to recapture significant parts of the country from the rebels or jihadists. An analysis of the security situation shows that the number of military confrontations in Syria has clearly decreased since the second half of 2018, that the impact of the conflict in Syria now differs considerably from region to region, and that Syria as of 2020 can be divided into five geographical zones.

The civil war has had a devastating impact on the civilian population. There are estimated to be a total of 13.4 million Syrians who, as a result of the armed conflict, require humanitarian assistance. This is an increase of 21% compared to 2020. More than 90% are said to be living below the poverty line. 6.1 million Syrians are displaced within Syria. In addition, 5.6 million have fled the country.

Land: 
Syria