Thousands of Syrians return to Homs after rebels lose city

Thousands of Syrians streamed into war-battered parts of the central city of Homs on Saturday for the first time in nearly two years, many making plans to move back just days after rebels surrendered their strongholds to pro-government forces.

Hundreds of rebels surrendered their positions in Homs to government forces in exchange for their safe passage to the nearby northern countryside as part of a deal that began Wednesday.

Some 2,000 rebels endured a nearly two-year blockade and heavy bombing of the area in the city once referred to as the "capital of the rebellion."

The surrender deal is widely seen as a victory for President Bashar al-Assad weeks ahead of a presidential election on June 3 that he is expected to win. Assad has promised to continue his violent crackdown on rebels in the Syrian civil war, which activists say has left more than 150,000 people dead.

Despite the end of hostilities in Homs, there’s no sign the bloody conflict is getting any more humane, with the United Nations accusing the Assad regime of cutting off medical aid to those in need. Human Rights Watch has said the government specifically targets civilians and hospitals.

“Medical supplies are being removed from convoys as part of a strategy to deny the wounded medical care. This is an abomination,” said John Ging, UN director for Syria aid operations, on Friday.

“In terms of who is taking the supplies out of the convoys, it’s the government of Syria.”

But with the rubble-strewn city cleared of rebel fighters, Syrians fanned through the smashed ancient quarters of Homs.

A youth band banging drums and holding photographs of Assad marched through the area, adding a celebratory mood for those supporting his government amid the 3-year-old conflict.

Residents scavenged what they could from their homes Saturday, mostly clothes, dusty mattresses and some burned gas canisters, carrying them away in plastic bags and trolleys.

"My house was completely destroyed and burned, but I found some photos," said Sarmad Mousa, 49, a resident of the old Hamidiyeh district.

"They will remain a memory for me of the beautiful days we had here."

Some accused rebels of looting and setting their homes on fire. Smaller crowds made the journey Friday.

Other residents were already making plans to stay in their homes, sweeping away rubble and smashed glass from their homes.

"God willing, we will sleep in our homes tonight, not tomorrow," one man told Lebanese television station al-Mayadeen. "Even if the homes aren't ready, we are going to help each other build our homes," he said.

For rebels, it was a bitter day, said an opposition activist who uses the name Thaer Khalidiya.

"The fighters left to rest and get treatment, but they want to return to liberate Homs," he said over Skype. "They want to go back."

In Homs, municipal workers began fixing power lines while bulldozers cleared rubble from the street. The Syrian Red Crescent gave clean water, food and candles to residents who wanted to return to their homes, Gov. Talal Barazi said.

But danger still lurked in some areas. A man, woman and child have been killed in three separate explosions in Homs after detonating rebel-planted mines left in their homes, Barazi said.

At least five military vehicles carrying soldiers searched the area for more explosives.

Some citizens rushed to the area of Bustan al-Diwan, gathering to pray around the grave of an elderly, beloved Dutch priest who was shot to death in April in a rebel-held part of Homs.

Father Francis Van Der Lugt, 75, was a Jesuit, the same order as Pope Francis. His death underscored fears among many of Syria's Christian and Muslim minorities for the fate of their communities as Islamic extremists gain influence among rebels seeking to topple Assad.

"I came to pray on his grave," said Rasim Sayrafi, 40. "The father was a secular man who walked with Muslims and Christians, together and equally. I am here to remember that."

Another young Muslim woman wept next to his tomb.

"I came here to pray for him," said Nadine Abdul-Aziz, 25, before she went to see her home. "I wish he had lived longer to see the liberated Homs."

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press