Thousands return home from Jordan as ceasefire holds in southern Syria

Around 1,000 Syrians who sought refuge in Jordan have been returning home each month since July, when a ceasefire for southern Syria took effect, the UN said Monday. The ceasefire, which was brokered by Jordan, Russia and the US for the provinces of Daraa, Quneitra and Suweida, has largely held since it came into force on July 9. Since then, “the number of Syrians returning to the country voluntarily has increased,” said Mohammed al-Hiwari, spokesman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Amman, according to AFP. “Today that number has risen to around 1,000 [returning] per month on average,” Hiwari added. The UN says Jordan is hosting more than 650,000 Syrian refugees, but officials in the kingdom put the actual number at 1.3 million.