Oliver Conway

A huge crowd gathered in Umayyad Square, waving flags and beating drums.

However, despite that celebration of new freedoms, the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad 12 months ago hasn't brought an end to the challenges facing Syria.

Dr Omar Imadi is at the Centre for Syrian Studies at St Andrews University in Scotland.

Well, Syria's new president, Ahmad Ashara, a former al-Qaeda fighter, has managed to win the support of President Trump, while millions of Syrians have now returned home.

But the country is struggling with the slow pace of reconstruction, according to the outgoing head of the UN's refugee agency.

Filippo Grandi, high commissioner of the UNHCR, says Syria is at risk of going backwards.

He spoke to our chief international correspondent, Lise Doucette, who is in Damascus.

Who would have thought just a year and a day ago that this would happen?

And I think that even after the fall of the Assad regime, we thought people would return, but not in these numbers.

And they keep going back, and they have gone back throughout the year.

So, you know, this puts us in front of some important questions.

Do they stay back in their homes and not to leave again as they might if things do not improve inside Syria?

You go back, I've been several times this year to Syria.

They go back to almost nothing, to houses that have become shells of what they used to be.

Entire cities destroyed or parts of cities are destroyed.

Services are on their knees.

There are no jobs.

There is no electricity.

There's a lot to be done.

People are patient, are resilient.