Arab leaders welcomed Syria back into the Arab League after the country’s nearly 12 years in exile. The move marks one of the most significant steps in the Arab world to re-normalize relations with Damascus.

The Arab League revoked Syria’s membership in 2011 after Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad led a massive crackdown on protesters that spiraled the country into a civil war. Assad has since been accused of committing war crimes against his own people.

The violence in Syria has killed nearly a half million people and displaced half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million.