By Antoine Amrieh
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: A protest in solidarity with the Syrian people was held in the Qibbeh neighborhood of Tripoli following Friday prayers, as the number of Syrian refugees in North Lebanon approached 4,000.
Demonstrators marched from Hamzeh Mosque, shouting slogans in support of the now months-old uprising against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, which the U.N. says has now killed at least 2,700 civilians, and urging opposition groups to unite.
The mosque’s imam, Zakaria Abdel-Razzaq Masri, said Assad’s Baath Party seized power in a coup and has since imposed its ideologies on the Syrian people through propaganda, tight security control and military domination.
He said that since former president, Hafez Assad, Bashar’s father, came into power in 1970, intelligence services have intimidated people to the point that has forced Syrians to revolt, peacefully, to demand their freedom.
Demonstrators held signs adopting the slogan of protests on the same day in Syria, namely “uniting the opposition.” One man held a placard claiming that “minorities have nothing to fear under Islam,” a response to fears that the fall of the Assad regime could have negative repercussions for non-majority sects.
Masri also voiced surprise over Iran and Hezbollah’s position in support of the Syrian regime, while praising Najib Mikati’s stances, referring to a leaked WikiLeaks cable that quoted the prime minister as labelling Hezbollah’s weapons a tumor that should be eradicated.
Meanwhile, in its latest weekly report on the refugee situation in north Lebanon, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees said Friday that over 200 displaced Syrians have registered with agency since last week.
There are now 3,784 registered refugees in Lebanon. Of the latest 200 to be registered, the report states that some have recently arrived from Syria, whereas others may have been in Lebanon for some time, but have only just approached the agency’s office.
The vast majority of new arrivals, the report adds, arrived via official border crossings and were escaping violence in Tal Kalakh and Homs. With the recent closure of many unofficial border crossings, the report states that “Communities express the concern that closure of unofficial crossing points by the Syrian authorities may be preventing others from fleeing unrest since they may be afraid to identify themselves at official crossing points.”
Other refugees are worried about gunfire that can “occasionally be heard from villages close to the Syrian borders,” the report adds.
On Sept. 15, Syrian army members crossed into Lebanese territory, allegedly in the pursuit of smugglers, although Syrian activists maintain they were trying to recapture those who had fled violence in Syria. After retreating, the troops fired across the border, wounding one Lebanese man. However, the security situation in north Lebanon, the report says, remains “relatively stable.”
With winter approaching, the report says that “efforts to address shelter needs are well under way.” In collaboration with the Norwegian Refugee Council and partners, the UNHRC is assessing the needs of the most vulnerable families.
The renovation of two schools, which each accommodate 100 people, are complete. The remaining refugees are residing with host families, and “alleviating the burden of the generous host communities remains one of the key priorities,” the report adds.
After an agreement with the Education Ministry, displaced children can, from now until December, enroll at the closest public school to their residence, with tuition fees, uniforms and equipment paid for by the UNHCR.
Outreach workers are continuing to conduct regular visits to Syrian refugees. These visits, as well as meetings held with groups, reveal “ongoing fear of returning to their villages on the basis that they feel it is still unsafe to do so,” the report states.
There are also concerns about having not yet received circulation permits from the Lebanese government, as anticipated.
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: A protest in solidarity with the Syrian people was held in the Qibbeh neighborhood of Tripoli following Friday prayers, as the number of Syrian refugees in North Lebanon approached 4,000.
Demonstrators marched from Hamzeh Mosque, shouting slogans in support of the now months-old uprising against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, which the U.N. says has now killed at least 2,700 civilians, and urging opposition groups to unite.
The mosque’s imam, Zakaria Abdel-Razzaq Masri, said Assad’s Baath Party seized power in a coup and has since imposed its ideologies on the Syrian people through propaganda, tight security control and military domination.
He said that since former president, Hafez Assad, Bashar’s father, came into power in 1970, intelligence services have intimidated people to the point that has forced Syrians to revolt, peacefully, to demand their freedom.
Demonstrators held signs adopting the slogan of protests on the same day in Syria, namely “uniting the opposition.” One man held a placard claiming that “minorities have nothing to fear under Islam,” a response to fears that the fall of the Assad regime could have negative repercussions for non-majority sects.
Masri also voiced surprise over Iran and Hezbollah’s position in support of the Syrian regime, while praising Najib Mikati’s stances, referring to a leaked WikiLeaks cable that quoted the prime minister as labelling Hezbollah’s weapons a tumor that should be eradicated.
Meanwhile, in its latest weekly report on the refugee situation in north Lebanon, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees said Friday that over 200 displaced Syrians have registered with agency since last week.
There are now 3,784 registered refugees in Lebanon. Of the latest 200 to be registered, the report states that some have recently arrived from Syria, whereas others may have been in Lebanon for some time, but have only just approached the agency’s office.
The vast majority of new arrivals, the report adds, arrived via official border crossings and were escaping violence in Tal Kalakh and Homs. With the recent closure of many unofficial border crossings, the report states that “Communities express the concern that closure of unofficial crossing points by the Syrian authorities may be preventing others from fleeing unrest since they may be afraid to identify themselves at official crossing points.”
Other refugees are worried about gunfire that can “occasionally be heard from villages close to the Syrian borders,” the report adds.
On Sept. 15, Syrian army members crossed into Lebanese territory, allegedly in the pursuit of smugglers, although Syrian activists maintain they were trying to recapture those who had fled violence in Syria. After retreating, the troops fired across the border, wounding one Lebanese man. However, the security situation in north Lebanon, the report says, remains “relatively stable.”
With winter approaching, the report says that “efforts to address shelter needs are well under way.” In collaboration with the Norwegian Refugee Council and partners, the UNHRC is assessing the needs of the most vulnerable families.
The renovation of two schools, which each accommodate 100 people, are complete. The remaining refugees are residing with host families, and “alleviating the burden of the generous host communities remains one of the key priorities,” the report adds.
After an agreement with the Education Ministry, displaced children can, from now until December, enroll at the closest public school to their residence, with tuition fees, uniforms and equipment paid for by the UNHCR.
Outreach workers are continuing to conduct regular visits to Syrian refugees. These visits, as well as meetings held with groups, reveal “ongoing fear of returning to their villages on the basis that they feel it is still unsafe to do so,” the report states.
There are also concerns about having not yet received circulation permits from the Lebanese government, as anticipated.
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