Syrian refugees fleeing from Lebanon
Syrian refugees are leaving Lebanon due to lack of funding, according to The New Arab and agencies on May 1st.
The Director General of the International Organisation for Migration Amy Pope declared that about 3,000 Syrians departed Lebanon to head to Cyprus since the beginning of the year.
Lebanon is currently home to over 2 million Syrians who fled their country following the Syrian civil war in 2011.
However, with almost 80% of its population living in conditions akin to poverty, seeking asylum in the country is becoming increasingly harder.
In addition, the Lebanese borders are presently involved in an almost daily struggle between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Israel Defence Forces.
As a result, more and more refugees are leaving Lebanon and relocating to Cyprus, 160 km away.
READ: Syrians return to own country, despite risks of persecution
By April 14th, 2,140 refugees had arrived on the island, causing the Cypriot government to halt the processing of Syrian asylum applications. Authorities have sent police patrol vessels to stop refugees’ attempts to reach the Cypriot coast.
Moreover, Cyprus called on the EU to define some safe zones in Syrian territory to enable the repatriation of the refugees.
“I fully understand the challenges Lebanon is facing but exporting migrants to Cyprus should not be the answer and cannot be accepted”, claimed President Christodoulides.
Pope stated “My concern is that we will see it become increasingly difficult for Syrians to stay safely in Lebanon. And when people cannot stay safely in one place, they do what every human being will do, is look where they can go”.
“The numbers are ticking up,” she continued. “Lebanon is becoming a less hospitable place for them to stay.”
Regarding the funding cut, Pope declared that “Because the number of conflicts has gone up, because the Syrian populations have been displaced now for almost 10 years, because the assumptions are we can’t continue to fund Syrians when we have increasing numbers of people from different parts of the world.”
The New Arab and agencies