Feature: Syrians in Homs heave sigh of relief as rebel presence near end

As rebels are evacuating from their last remaining stronghold in Syria's central city of Homs, people there are breathing a sigh of relief, hoping to resume their normal lives once the last batch of rebels leaves soon.

The rebels and their families as well as sympathizers have been evacuating the al-Waer neighborhood in batches toward rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib as well as the northern province of Aleppo since March of this year.

The evacuation comes following a deal struck with the government to grant them safe passage toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria in 2015.

Several hurdles faced the full implementation of the deal before its reactivation last March.

Since March, 10 batches of rebels and their relatives have left al-Waer, with the total number of evacuees estimated at 18,000 people, including rebels and civilians.

Sources familiar with the evacuation told Xinhua on Wednesday that the last batch of rebels and civilians will evacuate the neighborhood on Saturday, with government institutions waiting for the last rebel to evacuate in order to claim control over the neighborhood.

However, although government institutions haven't entered the neighborhood yet, civilians who have fled the area when the rebels took control over it five years ago, have started returning to their neighborhood.

"It's very important for people to return to their homes and relax because the situation was extremely bad, mainly on the humanitarian level, but now everything has changed for the better," Rana Daghistani, one of the residents who stayed in her home in Waer, told Xinhua at the neighborhood's entrance.

She said she refused to leave her house because she had no other place to go to and because she doesn't want to be humiliated throughout the displacement process.

Daghistani said people there are now enjoying a tranquility they have for long missed.

"It's calm now, and everyone is now thinking how to fix his house, either those who stayed or others who are returning, because they have suffered a lot with high rents in other parts of the city," she added.

Other residents spoke of overwhelming happiness to have a normal life back in the city and to the al-Waer neighborhood in particular.

"It's a priceless happiness that Homs is back to peace and stability and we, the residents of al-Waer, welcome anyone who wants to come to our neighborhood, whether from al-Waer or any other part of the city, our homes are open for them," Mahmoud Mahamid, a resident of al-Waer, told Xinhua.

Mahamid fled his home in 2012 when the rebels took over and has now returned to put his life back together in his neighborhood, along with the thousands of people who have started returning.

Homs authorities have afforded several facilities for returning civilians, despite the presence of some rebels still inside.

All those returning simply need to register their names before entering the neighborhood, and can then remain inside or just enter to check on their homes and belongings and leave.

Masoud, a schoolteacher, told Xinhua that it's about time people in Homs enjoy some happiness after all the losses they had suffered.

"We have lost family members, friends and neighbors in this war and this step to secure the neighborhood is a positive one, and, despite the war and crisis, we, the Syrian people, are united and we should stand together to restore peace to our country hand in hand," he said.

Al-Waer is a sprawling neighborhood in Homs.

Previous statistics indicated that al-Wair used to home 300,000 people before the six-year-old war erupted in Syria, and that those number then decreased down to 75,000 civilians remaining in al-Wair, which has been besieged by government forces since 2014.

A military officer at the entrance of al-Waer told Xinhua that the neighborhood will soon be free of any rebel presence, adding that government institutions will enter the area and start providing full services for people.

For the government, regaining the neighborhood is significant progress which will enable them to regain full control of Homs, Syria's third largest city.

It's also the heart of Syria due to its location in the central part of the country.

Homs is also one of Syria's most important industrial centers, boasting the country's largest oil refinery and key oil and gas fields in its eastern countryside.

The city is also a hub connecting major Syrian cities together, and gaining full control over the city will be an important step for the government to have full control over Syria's other major five cities of Damascus, Homs, Latakia, Aleppo and Hama.

For the rebels, losing their last stronghold in Homs is a major blow, following the huge defeat they suffered when government forces recaptured the entire city of Aleppo in December of last year, after the rebels' evacuation from the eastern part of that key city in northern Syria.

Rebels called Homs the "Capital of Revolution," as it was one of the first cities to join the anti-government movement in Syria in mid-March 2011.

By mid 2012, up to a fifth of the city was under control of the opposition.

In the same year government forces unleashed an offensive to capture the fallen areas.

In late 2014, rebels in the old city of Homs accepted a deal for their evacuation from the city, which has been largely obliterated due to the military campaign in the city.

In 2015, the deal for al-Wair was reached, similar to that of the of old city, before being reactivated on March 14, 2017.

Following the full evacuation of the rebels from al-Wair, government efforts will focus on achieving similar deals in the northern countryside of Homs, where rebels still hold some areas. Endit