My forgotten war

Turkey hosts the largest population of refugees and asylum seekers in the world. These include around 3.6 million Syrians, who fled there during the war in their country. Now many of those Syrian refugees feel forgotten and unsafe once more, while tensions with locals are higher than ever.

Seven years ago, the EU handed Turkey six billion euros in a deal to stop Syrians heading to Europe. Since then, many Turks say their welcome has worn thin. And now, the Turkish government is deporting Syrians it says are in Turkey illegally, back to the warzone.

Karam was 19 when the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, had security forces fire on peaceful protesters and arrest hundreds of citizens. Karam was one of those arrested, and after being released he eventually paid a people smuggler to take him to Turkey. He believes that he will be arrested and tortured if he returns to Syria. But he is also afraid to stay in Turkey, saying that local Police ask for his papers around five times a day.

Hannah Lucinda Smith is in Esenyurt, a predominantly Syrian district around an hour's drive from the centre of Istanbul, speaking to both Syrians and Turks about why tensions have escalated. What is next for Syrians living there?

Presenter: Hannah Lucinda Smith
Producer: Matt Wareham
A Depictar Ltd production for BBC World Service

(Photo: Syrians raise the flags of the revolution and chant in demonstrations to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Syrian revolution against the Assad regime, in the city of Jenders, Aleppo, 18 March, 2023. Credit: Rami Alsayed/Getty Images)