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Lebanon is blaming the international community for prolonging the presence of Syrian refugees on its territory, while successive Lebanese governments, who have failed drastically to deal properly with the refugee crisis right from the start, should bear the larger responsibility.
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib has sounded the alarm over the hazards posed by the Syrian refugees’ presence in Lebanon at the 7th EU-sponsored conference for “Supporting the future of Syria and the region” in Brussels on Thursday, June 15.
“The Lebanese people have generously received the Syrian refugees, but their prolonged presence is impacting the economy, environment, and political situation as well as endangering the Lebanese fabric,” Bou Habib said in his address, stressing that “Lebanon should not become a massive refugee camp.”
Bou Habib criticized the international community for “concentrating” its efforts on helping the Syrian refugees while “ignoring Lebanon’s demands,” for additional assistance, noting that the country incurs some 5 billion dollars in losses annually for hosting them.
Talal Doueihi, leader of the nationalistic Al-Arad Movement, held the Lebanese governments fully responsible for the “chaotic and disorganized” presence of 2.4 million displaced Syrians.
“For more than 12 years, Lebanese governments have treated the issue with total negligence. They did not even bother to create data (about their numbers and whereabouts), or organize and place restrictions on their presence,” Doueihi told This is Beirut.
He said many refugees are pro-Assad regime and have no reason not to return to their country, accusing the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) of encouraging them to stay in Lebanon through provision of cash money and other types of assistance.
“The real dangers also lie in the fact that there are thousands of unregistered births to Syrian parents and that young Syrians, especially those who do not know their country, got used to life in Lebanon and would not want to return home,” Doueihi added, warning that “their continued presence is endangering civil peace.”
A Lebanese working paper presented to the conference called for additional international assistance to alleviate the burden of hosting the refugees and asked the international community to undertake, in coordination with the Arab League, the necessary steps to secure their “safe and dignified” return to their homeland.
Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with the government estimating that 1.5 million Syrian refugees are present, while unofficial figures estimate them at over 2 million, including more than 800,000 registered with the UNHCR. The UN agency stopped registering refugees since 2015 in line with a government “erroneous” decision.
No formal refugee camps were established in Lebanon for Syrian refugees. Consequently, they have been fanning out, living in cities, villages, or spontaneously setting-up tented settlements throughout the country. Regions such as North Lebanon and the Bekaa have the highest concentration of refugees, with 28 per cent and 34 per cent respectively. Beirut and Mount Lebanon both host 26 per cent of registered Syrians, while 12 per cent are settled in Southern Lebanon.
But amid a crushing economic crisis that has pushed most of Lebanon into poverty, anti-Syrian sentiment has soared, the government has called for refugees to return home and security forces have deported dozens to Syria.
At the end of the conference, the European Union pledged 560 million euros ($600 million) to help countries neighboring Syria cope with the costs of hosting the “war-displaced” Syrians.
In an implicit rejection to calls for repatriating the refugees, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the EU does not support the return of Syrians to their country unless they are “voluntary”, safe, and monitored by international groups.
Earlier on Thursday, Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar, who has been kept away from the meeting for being outspoken against EU policies on refugees, tweeted: “In the backstage of Brussels’ conference the Europeans are inflexible on their stance rejecting the return of the refugees to their country. Assisting us (host countries) is their duty. However, for the Lebanese, the return of the Syrians to their country is the only real and acceptable solution.”
The UN says more than 12 million Syrians were displaced by the conflict, most of them inside Syria, and with 5.4 million living as refugees in neighboring countries.
