ALEPPO, Syria — Swarms of young Syrians have been fleeing the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra in southern Syria, escaping dire economic conditions (including rampant unemployment and a lack of job opportunities), arrest campaigns by the Syrian government and being drafted into the Syrian army.

The majority of these young people have been heading to the opposition-controlled areas in Idlib province and the northern Idlib countryside and then all the way to Turkey. Many of them have been trying their luck to reach Europe through illegal means and some have gone to neighboring Lebanon. In order to pass through regime-controlled areas, young Syrians often place their destiny in the hands of smugglers who are usually close to the regime forces and security apparatus. 

The deadline for the settlement agreement in the south of Syria has ended without any long-term solution, which raised growing concerns among civilians in the southern parts of the country.

This settlement came after the signing of several reconciliation agreements between the Syrian armed opposition and regime forces in southern Syria, which began under direct Russian auspices from June 15, 2018, until the end of July 2018, and covered several areas that were included successively under the agreements, namely in the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra.