State of the World from NPR Untangling Home Ownership in Syria After a Long War
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Nov 21, 2025 The podcast dives deep into the complex issues surrounding home ownership in post-war Syria. Millions were displaced, and many returning find strangers living in their homes. The discussion highlights how fighters occupied abandoned properties and the challenges homeowners face in reclaiming their land. Eyewitness accounts reveal negotiations with occupiers and the emotional celebration when families regain their homes, symbolizing hope and recovery in a war-torn landscape. Olive harvests serve as a poignant backdrop to this journey toward normalcy.
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Villagers Flee And Return To Occupied Homes
- Yasser Abood and other villagers fled Al-Ghassaniya after heavy shelling and foreign fighters occupied their homes and land.
- When residents returned after the war ended, they found fighters and displaced families living in their properties, prompting reclaiming efforts.
Commanders Encouraged Fighters To Occupy Homes
- A rebel deputy commander, Jalal-Din, said commanders told fighters to live in empty houses after liberating areas.
- Uyghur fighters and others occupied homes and took olive harvests before agreeing to return land after a season.
Former Mayor Finds Fighters In His Home
- Abdullah Ibrahim found Uyghur fighters living in his house and tending his olive groves when he returned in December.
- The foreign occupants collected the olive harvest before negotiating to hand land back in October.