“The Humanitarian Crisis Is Far From Over”: Syrian Activist, Olympian & Refugee Yusra Mardini On Her Hopes For The Country
By Marianna Cerini
29 Jan, 2025

In December 2024, thousands of Syrians flocked for Friday prayers to Umayyad Mosque in central Damascus, chanting “freedom” and waving a three-starred red, white, black and green flag – the new Syrian flag – in the air. More people rallied on the streets, cheering and dancing. It was the first time they gathered since rebel forces had torn across the country in just two weeks, ultimately ousting long-time ruler President Bashar al-Assad and overthrowing his brutal dictatorship.
The day felt momentous. Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since 2011, after a peaceful uprising against the Assad regime turned into a full-scale conflict. The clashes of the past 14 years have left more than 600,000 people dead, and forced some 14 million Syrians to flee the country, making it one of the largest refugee crises in the world.
Watching Assad collapse – for both Syrians who remained, as well as those displaced – was a moving, if confronting, occasion.
Activist Yusra Mardini certainly felt that way. “It’s hard to describe the mix of emotions I felt when I heard the news about Assad’s fall,” she says. “It has been 14 years since we’ve been waiting for this moment – 14 years that started with hope, then challenges, pain and loss. The Syrian people have endured so much, and now, even though the fall of Assad marks a significant shift, the real work of rebuilding Syria and healing the scars of war is only beginning. It all begins here, like going back to square one where all options are valid. There is hope, but it’s also overwhelming to think about what happens next.”

A UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Yusra has long been outspoken about Syria and refugee rights around the world. Her story, for those who don’t know, is now almost legendary (so much so that, in 2022, Netflix made a film out it, The Swimmers): In August 2015, at just 17 years old, she fled the Syrian Civil War with her sister Sara, making the treacherous journey to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. When the boat that was carrying them stopped working and began sinking mid-crossing, she and Sara got into the water with two others and, together, pushed it to safety to a Greek island. Yusra went on to settle in Germany, became part of the Refugee Olympic Team and swam at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Today, she lives in the US, where she’s studying film at the University of Southern California.
Syria, however, is still very much at the forefront of her mind – as is the family she had to leave behind. “My family and friends in Syria are experiencing a mix of hope and caution,” she says. “For many, it’s a moment they never thought they’d see, and there is some relief that the regime’s control is ending. They didn’t expect this to happen so soon; we were shocked and surprised by how quickly things escalated. So I believe we deserve this moment of relief, but daily life is still a struggle and there are many unknowns.”
Indeed, seven weeks on, it’s still too soon to tell what’s next for the country. Damascus is now controlled by a coalition named Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) whose leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani has a complicated, Al-Qaeda-affiliated past. The United States, Turkey, the United Nations and several other Western nations consider HTS as a terrorist organisation, and the US has placed a $10 million bounty on Jolani. Predicting what a new government will look like is, for now, too difficult an ask.
Yusra is keen to point this out. “There’s a lot of uncertainty that we are facing currently,” she says. “This is not a 2011 moment; things have changed a lot in the past 14 years. We are still hoping for safety, freedom and dignity – that’s all we have. Yes, we hope for change, but there is also a deep awareness that the challenges of rebuilding the country are immense.”

She also makes it clear that just because Assad is gone doesn’t mean we should stop paying attention: “I want the world to understand that even though Assad’s regime may have fallen, the humanitarian crisis is far from over. Ninety percent of people inside Syria need humanitarian assistance, and we’re talking about 14 million displaced people, whether inside or outside Syria. The war has left lasting scars on both the land and the people. The world must not forget about Syria now.”
People, she adds, still need help, whether in the form of humanitarian aid or rebuilding efforts. “You can support Syria by continuing to provide aid and by being vocal about the need for peace and stability in my country,” she says. “But please don’t rush Syrian people to feel something they don’t or make them rush their return. People need time to process what’s happening and choose the life they want.”

Will she consider going back? “I would love to return to Syria one day,” she says. “I believe all Syrians do; we were born there, lived there and still remember the tiniest details. But we admit that the situation is complicated. I dream of the day I can go back and see Syria at peace. This is when I can return. It’s not just about the regime falling; it’s about rebuilding trust, safety, and dignity.”
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