Around one million Syrian refugees returned home, while over six million remained internally displaced, in a country devastated by 14 years of conflict. Entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed, and people face widespread poverty, severe shortages of water, food, and healthcare, and the risk of injury from unexploded ordnance. During 2025, we scaled up our operations, delivering care in 10 hospitals and 21 clinics and general healthcare centres, and running mobile clinics across 12 of the 14 governorates.
Despite relative stability, there were sporadic surges in violence in several governorates, causing further waves of displacement within the country and over borders. An outbreak of violence in Sweida forced 180,000 people to flee their homes, putting a further strain on communities in other areas of the governorate, and in Daraa and Rif Damashq (Rural Damascus). In Daraa, MSF responded by providing mass-casualty kits, medical consultations, and mental health support, and distributing relief items to displaced families. In Sweida, we supported emergency room services through donating medical supplies, rehabilitation work, and training, while also supplying fuel for ambulances, and distributing blankets, hygiene kits, and kitchen equipment. In March, following violence in Tartus and Latakia, MSF treated patients in Jisr Al-Shughour and donated medical kits to health facilities.
In northwest Syria, especially Idlib, we operated mobile clinics in displacement camps, offering general, maternal, and child healthcare, mental health support, and treatment for chronic diseases. We also scaled up specialist care for survivors of ill-treatment from Idlib, Damascus, and Kafr Batna. In Anjara, Kafr Dael, Job Kass, Tal Hadia, and Fraikeh, we set up boreholes and pumps and trucked in water for displaced people. In addition, at our hospital in Atmeh, we treated patients with burns, mostly incurred in accidents due to unsafe living conditions in camps.
In the northeast, fighting in Manbij, Shahba, and Tal Rifaat in December 2024 caused thousands of people to flee towards Raqqa and Tabqa. In response, MSF distributed water and essential relief items, and ran mobile clinics in Raqqa, Tabqa, and Hassakeh. To increase access to safe water, we rehabilitated boreholes in Deir ez-Zor and Hassakeh, and operated a water purification plant in Al-Hol camp. We also continued to run our clinic in Al-Hol camp, and support others in Hassakeh and Raqqa, to ensure people had access to treatment for non-communicable diseases and mental health conditions.
Following renewed violence in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood in September and December, which led to massive waves of displacement towards the northeast of the country, we distributed essential relief items to families.
In Homs governorate, MSF supported a general healthcare centre by expanding sexual and reproductive health services, renovating the facility, and providing equipment and staff incentives. We also donated trauma kits to hospitals. In Homs governorate, we improved services at the blood diseases centre and blood bank through the provision of medications, training, and infrastructure upgrades. In Tartus, we donated dialysis machines and trained hospital staff.
