Syrian women and children in a refugee camp in Bar Elias in the Bekaa plain, Lebanon
Copyright© Thomas Trutschel/photothek.net
The refugee crisis More than one in every five people living in the country is a refugee
Most Syrian refugees arrive in North Lebanon, a region where the social situation is already under strain. There is a risk that the acute crisis in Lebanon and the increasing poverty also hitting the Lebanese population could lead to distributional disputes arising between the refugees and local people.
The Bourj el-Barajneh camp for Palestinian refugees in the Lebanese capital Beirut
The Lebanese government is seeking to significantly restrict the number of refugees coming into the country. To this end, it has introduced more stringent border controls and now requires entry visas. Lebanon is not a party to the Geneva Refugee Convention of 1951. This means that Syrian refugees can register in Lebanon but gain no legal benefits from doing so. The plan on the return of displaced persons approved by the Lebanese government in 2020 increases the pressure for a return of refugees to Syria.
As at: 21/04/2022