The Indonesian Government Has Returned 13 Indonesian Citizens Affected By Conflict In Syria

Repatriation of Indonesian citizens from Syria. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - The Government of the Republic of Indonesia succeeded in evacuating 13 Indonesian citizens (WNI) who were affected by the conflict in Syria in the seventh wave of evacuation and arrived in the country on Friday.

In his statement, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote that the evacuation this time was different from the previous evacuation involving a land trip from Damascus, Syria to Beirut, Lebanon before a flight to Indonesia.

"The evacuation of this wave is carried out by flying from Damascus, Syria to the country," the ministry said in a statement, Friday, February 22.

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that those who were evacuated were migrant workers from a number of provinces in Indonesia, namely Banten (1 person), West Java (7), Lampung (1) and West Nusa Tenggara (4).

Previously, the Government had evacuated 17 Indonesian citizens in the sixth wave of evacuation on January 14, 2025. Thus, the total number of Indonesian citizens who were successfully evacuated from Syria by the Indonesian government reached 200 people.

The evacuation process is a manifestation of the state's presence through the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Representatives abroad, in protecting all Indonesian citizens, including in an emergency situation abroad.

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the seven waves of Indonesian evacuation that had been carried out were the response of the Indonesian government in responding to the emergency that occurred in Syria.

In this case, the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus previously established Alert I status for all Syrian regions on December 7, 2024 and formulated steps to protect Indonesian citizens and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including intensive coordination between K/L, updating the contingency plan, communicating with Indonesian citizens in Syria, and coordinating with relevant stakeholders abroad to ensure safe evacuation movements for Indonesian citizens.

"The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to urge Indonesian citizens to continue to pay attention to the development of security situations in Syria, increase vigilance, avoid vulnerable locations and crowds, minimize unnecessary movements, and establish close communication with the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus and between Indonesian citizens," exclaimed the ministry.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that for people who have families in Syria, they can contact the hotline number of the Indonesian Citizen Protection Directorate ([phone]) or the hotline number of the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus ([phone]).