Newly returned Syrians struggle to reclaim land seized under Assad regime
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Since Ahmed al-Sharaa and the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took power in Syria a year ago after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have returned to their country. During the war, many were dispossessed of their land and homes under several laws and presidential decrees aimed at permanently preventing refugees from returning.
This expropriation allowed the Syrian state to seize entire swathes of territory for the benefit of the Alawite minority, to which Assad belongs. But the situation has now changed. Dispossessed inhabitants want to return to their homes, which have often since been occupied by others.
FRANCE 24's Dana Alboz, Sophie Guignon and Majed Badawi report, with Josh Vardey.