By
Stephen Dockery, Dana Khraiche
BEIRUT:
Lebanon launched an international appeal for aid for a quickly growing number
of Syrian refugees Monday after a massive influx of Syrians into the country
last week that activists say brings the total refugee population to around
90,000.
The
number of refugees spiked last week after the killings of a number of
high-ranking security officials in Damascus. The bombing and subsequent
offensive launched by the Syrian opposition in Damascus jarred the nation and
caused thousands of families to abandon the capital and the worsening violence.
The
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said last week that up to 30,000
refugees arrived through Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing in the east of the
country over the span of two days.
The
Local Coordinating Committee of Syria, which works in Lebanon to aid refugees
and support the opposition, now estimates there are 90,000 refugees in the
country. But it’s too early to tell exactly how many there are, where they are
located and who needs help, LCC officials said.
“There
is no reliable figure at the moment,” Tripoli-based LCC spokesman Ahmad Moussa
said. “We really don’t know how much money and resources are needed for these
people.”
But
with the Lebanese Higher Relief Committee facing shortages of funding and UNHCR
reaching only a portion of the refugee population, government officials and aid
workers have decided it’s clear that the country needs more funding to help.
Social
Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour said Monday that Lebanon would launch a round
of contacts with Arab and international parties to garner financial support to
help Syrian refugees.
“Lebanon
will launch contacts on both the Arab and international levels to request aid
for the Lebanese government so that it can do its job as was the case with
other Arab countries in terms of carrying out refugee operations,” Abu Faour told
reporters at the Grand Serail in Beirut.
His
remarks came following a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
He
said that several countries and international institutions have expressed their
willingness to help Lebanon with the thousands of displaced Syrians. However,
he stressed that a plan for spending was required.
“Any
international party willing to help should know where the money is being spent
and how, and there should be a transparent and clear monitoring system,” he
added.
The
funding would help the Higher Relief Committee with its aid for the refugees
after the state-run organization announced earlier this month that it had
halted many of its program due to a lack of funding.
Also
Monday, U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly discussed with
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel foreign aid to the refugees.
UNHCR
has been bracing for an exodus from Syria, and a month ago doubled its forecast
for the number of refugees who could flee this year to 185,000. UNHCR has had a
long-standing call for aid for refugees that has mostly been answered by
Western countries such as the U.S. and the U.K.
Gulf
countries have been major aid contributors but often through local charities
working in the country independent of the U.N.
While
refugees have continued to flow into Lebanon, last week’s major influx has
started to slow, and general traffic along the Beirut-Damascus highway has
thinned considerably.
The
Masnaa border crossing no longer resembles the industrial hub it used to be.
The crossing looks more like a military headquarters, surrounded by barbed wire
and several layers of military checkpoints.
The
Lebanese Army, General Security and Customs officials now perform close checks
of travelers.
General traffic along the
highway had gone down around 70 percent, security sources said Monday due to
limited traffic coming from Turkey, Jordan and Gulf countries into Lebanon.
Most travelers, many with Damascus license plates, were seen cuing behind the
line to get into Lebanon with few exiting the country. – With additional
reporting by Rakan al-Fakih
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Jul-24/181729-activists-say-90000-refugees-in-lebanon.ashx#axzz21XL7r0ir
No comments:
Post a Comment