The abovementioned July 2025 escalation of violence in Sweida governorate reportedly led to the displacement of thousands of civilians towards Dar’a governorate.1201 IOM’s population movements assessments in Syria, which started as of February 2025, show that there was an increase in Dar’a’s IDP population between February 2025 (around 36 000 out of a total population of approximately 1.19 million, 3 %)1202 and April 2026 (around 68 000 out of a total population of approximately 1.37 million, 5 %).1203
UNHCR further estimated that, as of 21 May 2026, 28 000 individuals had returned to locations in Dar’a governorate from internal displacement since December 20241204 and 144 000 had returned to the governorate from abroad within the same period.1205
- 1201
UN Human Rights Council, International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law violations committed during the July 2025 violence in Suwayda, Syria; Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, A/HRC/61/CRP.7, 27 March 2026, url, para. 43; EUAA, Syria – Major human rights, security, and socio-economic developments [Q33-2025], 1 October 2025, url, p. 12
- 1202
IOM, Syrian Arab Republic – Community Baseline Assessment – Round 1 – February 2025, 6 March 2025, url, p. 8
- 1203
IOM, Syrian Arab Republic – Population Mobility and Baseline Assessment – Round 15 – April 2026, 18 May 2026, url, p. 7
- 1204
UNHCR, Syrian Arab Republic: Comprehensive Overview of IDPs and IDP Returns Dashboard [Map], 21 May 2026, url
- 1205
UNHCR, Syrian Arab Republic: Comprehensive Overview of Refugee Returns Dashboard [Map], 21 May 2026, url