The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement that Syrians displaced by violence in their country were facing difficulties crossing the border and seeking refuge in neighboring Lebanon, the National News Agency reported on Wednesday.
“Crossing into Lebanon is still a dangerous undertaking. Information has been relayed that difficulties are being encountered in leaving Syria including security searches, bribery and landmines… and even after crossing into Lebanon, many of the refugees are settling in [Lebanese] border towns which are witnessing recurrent [shelling from the Syrian side],” the statement said.
The UNHCR also criticized Lebanese General Security for not allowing the refugee agency to visit the detained Syrian nationals who had crossed illegally into Lebanon.
“This policy is a source of concern,” the agency said, but added that the Lebanese government had issued a “positive” decree preventing Syrian nationals from being forcibly returned to their country.
The UNHCR also said that there are currently more than 80400 refugees in Lebanon who were being provided with support by the Lebanese government, the UN and NGOs.
The Syrian uprising, which began with peaceful protests for reform which were brutally crushed, has since turned into a civil war pitting mainly Sunni rebels against Assad's minority Alawite-dominated regime. Activists say more than 30,000 people have died in the conflict.
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