U.S. Lifts Syria Sanctions as U.N. Warns Jobs and Security Key to Refugee Returns

By Blessing Nweke

The United States’ decision to lift sweeping sanctions on Syria could help encourage refugee returns and unlock much-needed investment, the head of the U.N. refugee agency in Lebanon said Thursday, even as humanitarian officials warned that insecurity and funding shortfalls continue to drive displacement.

The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to permanently repeal the Caesar Act sanctions, which were imposed in 2019 to punish the government of former President Bashar Assad for human rights abuses during Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war. President Donald Trump had previously suspended the sanctions through an executive order and is expected to sign the final repeal on Thursday as part of the annual defense spending bill.

Since Assad’s ouster in December 2024, about 400,000 Syrian refugees have returned from Lebanon, according to U.N. figures. UNHCR Lebanon Representative Karolina Lindholm Billing said roughly 1 million Syrians remain in Lebanon, including about 636,000 who are officially registered. Overall, more than 1 million refugees have returned from neighboring countries, alongside nearly 2 million internally displaced Syrians who have gone back to their homes.

Returning families are eligible for a one-time $600 cash payment, but Billing warned that the assistance is insufficient amid destroyed housing, scarce jobs and minimal reconstruction. The World Bank estimates Syria will need $216 billion to rebuild homes and infrastructure damaged during the war.

“What is needed now is big money in terms of reconstruction and private sector investments that will create jobs,” Billing said, arguing that permanently lifting sanctions could make a significant difference. Advocates say investors have been reluctant to engage while sanctions could be reinstated.

However, displacement has not ended. About 112,000 Syrians have fled to Lebanon since Assad’s fall, many from religious minorities fearing sectarian violence. Hundreds of Alawite civilians were killed in attacks on Syria’s coast in March, and sporadic violence continues.

U.N. deputy humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya urged donors to reverse declining aid, noting that Syria’s 2025 U.N. appeal is only 30% funded, leaving millions without assistance.