Refugee children pose for a photograph at a Syrian refugee camp in Bar Elias, Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon, on June 19, 2018, ahead of World Refugee Day. After years of war in Syria, Syrian refugees continued their lives in Lebanon. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
by Dana Halawi
BEIRUT, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Alaa Abou el-Heja, a 50-year-old Syrian refugee and father of six, awaits eagerly his return to Syria, as the Lebanese government's recent plan to secure refugees' return to their homeland gives him new hopes to see his beloved country after 11 years of displacement.
El-Heja, who lives in Bar Elias camp in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, said refugees should better return to their homeland in light of the severe economic crisis in Lebanon, which was further burdened with hosting over 1.5 million Syrian refugees.
"We have been using water, bread, electricity, fuel and other resources that have become scarce for the Lebanese themselves," he told Xinhua.
A scene inside the Burj al-Barajneh camp in south of Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
The Lebanese government announced earlier in July a plan to secure the return of 15,000 Syrian refugees monthly to their homeland regardless of the position of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in this regard.
The UNHCR did not agree to a number of items that were put forward by Lebanon, including the request to suspend the payment of aid to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and has withdrawn from the tripartite committee proposed by Lebanon, the country's Minister of Displaced Issam Charafeddine was quoted as saying by Voice of Lebanon, a private local radio.
A refugee child rides a bicycle at a Syrian refugee camp in Bar Elias, Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon, on June 19, 2018, ahead of World Refugee Day. After years of war in Syria, Syrian refugees continued their lives in Lebanon. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
Bassem Abou Odeh, another Syrian refugee who now works at a workshop for machinery maintenance in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, said that the displaced community is divided between optimists and pessimists regarding this plan.
Abou Odeh hoped that Lebanese authorities would carefully study and wait until the security situation subsides completely in Syria, as some areas, including Raqqa and Idlib, still suffer from kidnappings and killing incidents by terrorists.
Abou Hamed Hassan Jabra, a Syrian sergeant responsible for a group of displaced people in Lebanon's eastern village of Qaraoun, told Xinhua that some refugees are expecting to return after the Lebanese government announced its return plan which seemed serious and firm.
Meanwhile, a large proportion of the displaced will face huge challenges as some may have established small businesses or engaged in work in Lebanon and their return will force them to lose everything and start from scratch in their homeland, he noted.
Visiting Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference at Baabda Palace near Beirut, Lebanon, on Dec. 19, 2021. Guterres on Sunday urged the international community to increase its support for Lebanon, Lebanese TV station al-Jadeed reported. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
Dalal Harb, the media advisor at UNHCR, told Xinhua that "most of the refugees hope to return to Syria one day but many of them informed the commission that they are still concerned about several factors, including safety, housing, access to basic services and livelihoods."
She added that "Lebanon has a duty to abide by the principles of protecting refugees on its territories, and allowing them the voluntary right to return in safety and dignity," while the international community must continue to stand by Lebanon by supporting the most vulnerable people, displaced Syrian and Lebanese alike.
Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita with the government's estimation of 1.5 million Syrian refugees, yet the dire economic situation in Lebanon has negatively affected the livelihood of the Lebanese and also the displaced, whereby nine out of ten Syrian refugees live in extreme poverty, according to the United Nations. ■
