30. Report: Assessment of the situation of the Syrian refugees in Kurdistan region Iraq

Report by Mohamed Salman, Assistant Professor, University of Salahaddin (2012)

Extract from the introduction:

During the Arab Spring, some of the Arab peoples decided to take a stand against their leaders as a result of many factors that accumulated over decades. These reactions and uprisings occurred from Tunisia in December 2010, followed by Egypt, Yemen and Libya, and originally started in peaceful civilian protests against their governments and some led to widespread violence and civil war.

Likewise, in Syria, there is a continuation of these trends. In the Syrian context, however, the nature of the struggle against the regime and its leadership is complicated by the fact that the opposition is backed from abroad and exploited by Islamists, and the regime continues to act with full force against these fighters and its own citizens.

Fighting and destruction continues to this day, prompting the Syrians to flee at home or resorting to flee to neighboring countries to escape the oppression and the effects of the fighting.

Full report: http://www.migrationpolicycentre.eu/docs/MPC%202012%2015.pdf