Syrian student Essa Hassan, 26, gestures next to Jose Muzquiz (R), a member of NGO Habesha Project, after his arrival at the Benito Juarez international airport in Mexico City, September 23, 2015. The first of 30 Syrian students arrived in Mexico City on Wednesday to resume their studies in the country's top private universities as part of a humanitarian programme in Mexico awarding scholarships to Syria's brightest minds. After more than four years of bloodshed, millions of displaced people and nearly a quarter of a million dead, Syria's civil war has seen schools and universities close across the Middle Eastern country. Mexico-based civil society group Project Habesha has arranged dozens of scholarships for Syrian students to keep up their studies in Latin American nation. The first to arrive was Essa Hassan. According to Mexican media reports, Hassan will study Mexican history and the Spanish language, with the hope of completing a master's degree. REUTERS/Ginnette Riquelme