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For Syrians fleeing Sudan, returning home can be just as dangerous [1]
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Date: 2023-07
During the first week of the conflict, Yahiya said he tried reaching the Syrian embassy to enquire about repatriation flights. “I tried calling them every day after hearing that our government was going to help evacuate Syrians. No one responded to my calls,” he said. Like Ahmed, Yahyia said he was only able to leave Port Sudan after family members had bought a ticket and paid bribes back in Syria.
“Cham Wings and the regime are taking advantage of the situation and establishing discretional prices for the flight tickets according to the people buying them,” said Ahmed. “Bribes range from $500 to $1000 … [and if you don’t pay] you might buy the ticket but never get to board the plane.”
This is not the first time Cham Wings has been accused of illegal or exploitative practices. In 2021, the company was sanctioned by the EU in response to claims that it was facilitating the smuggling of Syrians to Belarus. Those sanctions have now been lifted, but in 2023 the airline was again accused of working with smugglers – this time by flying Bangladeshi migrants from Syria to Libya so they could attempt the dangerous boat crossing to Europe.
When it’s not safe at home either
Ahmed arrived in Damascus on a flight with over 190 other Syrians. While going through controls, he said that airport police stopped more than 10 men who were wanted by the regime for missing their compulsory military service. They were given 15 days to present themselves for military service in their local governorates, he said.
“Many Syrians still stuck in Port Sudan are afraid of taking a plane back, even if they can afford to pay the bribes… and even if the regime doesn’t consider them a political opponent,” said Ahmed. “This is because of the compulsory military service”.
In addition to the more obvious risks, military service in Syria can also be indefinite. “Some people are enrolled for more than eight years and others for less, but it is not clear how long military service can be,” said Ahmed. He also described conscription as “basically forced labour,” since those serving are paid a monthly salary of 100,000 Syrian pounds, around $11.
“I am lucky. I had already been given leave by the military service in Syria, and I was not part of opposition groups or wanted by the regime,” said Ahmed. Since arriving back in Syria, Ahmed has been searching for a job, but to no success. He is also in debt to his family members for the cost of the ticket that got him out of Sudan. “I am thinking of moving to Turkey,” he said. “Staying in Syria and finding decent work here is not an option.”
He worries about many of his friends and colleagues who are still stuck in Sudan. But he knows that many cannot return to Syria for fear of either being jailed or enrolled in the military. In their case, making use of the dangerous smuggling routes out of Sudan to get to a third country may be the most viable option.
According to sources interviewed in Port Sudan who preferred to remain anonymous, smugglers are already setting up routes to reach Egypt by sea from Port Sudan, and by land from Wadi Halfa. Costs of smuggling currently range between $1000 and $2000 per person, with sea routes as the pricier option. They will not lack customers – many are just waiting for news of the first safe arrivals via the new routes. For Syrians trapped between conflict in Sudan and conflict at home, a dangerous journey may be the only way out.
The names of people interviewed in this article are pseudonyms used to protect their identity against fear of retaliation by authorities in Syria.
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[1] Url:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/syrians-trapped-in-sudan-turning-to-smugglers-to-escape/
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