Turkey begins work on 240,000 homes to repatriate refugees in northern Syria

 The Republic of Turkey has started building 240,000 homes to repatriate refugees in northern Syria, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. 

Suleyman Soylu, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Turkey, launched the project on the outskirts of Al-Ghandura, a town in the Jarabulus area near the Turkey-Syria border. The builders and contractors have started work on the outskirts of Al-Ghandura. The Turkish Interior Minister revealed that the project is expected to be completed in three years. The minister further said, “Syrian refugees living in Turkey will settle in the houses ... as part of a dignified, voluntary, safe return.” He said that there was a huge demand for a voluntary return of Syrian refugees to this safe area. 

Reportedly, Turkey is home to around 4 million Syrian refugees. Recently, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the Leader of the Main Opposition in Turkey and a candidate for the 2023 presidential election, said, “We have a plan: We will send the refugees back to their country within two years at most.” He asked voters to vote for him during the second round of the election on May 28. He received 5% fewer votes than the current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the first round of the presidential election on May 14. 

The issue of Syrian refugees has become a central point of the Turkish election in 2023. The two presidential candidates have promised to send around 4 million Syrian refugees home after the election. However, some Syrian refugees do not want to go to their home country because of the living conditions in Syria. 

Turkish election 2023 came a few months after a destructive earthquake on February 6 killed over 50,000 people and displaced millions of people. Many buildings collapsed due to earthquakes, with people blaming Erdogan's administration for corruption in relief efforts.