U.N. agency warns more Syrians to leave Lebanon after aid reduction
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – U.N. migration agency warned on Tuesday that reduction of aid support will lead more Syrian refugees to leave Lebanon, adding more pressure on Cyprus.
Amy Pope, director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told The Associated Press that governments are reducing aid funding to agencies working with refugees, which is making the situation worse as anti-refugee sentiment grows in Lebanon.
The killing of a Lebanese official on April 7 sparked indiscriminate attacks against Syrian refugees in Lebanon, as the Lebanese army claimed he was killed by Syrian refugees.
Moreover, Pope added that about 3,000 Syrians have left Lebanon since January, compared to 4,500 in 2023, most of them headed to Cyprus.
“The numbers are ticking up,” she said. “Lebanon is becoming a less hospitable place for them to stay.”
The Lebanese army has previously deported Syrians on seized boats back to Syria, prompting concerns from human rights organizations as some of the deported Syrian have reportedly been subjected to detention and torture.
Meanwhile, in mid-April, the Cypriot government suspended processing all asylum applications of Syrian refugees as large numbers continued to reach Cyprus by boat, primarily from Lebanon.
Cyprus’ official have frequently asked the EU to designate areas in Syria as safe to be able to return refugees back to Syria.
According to the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Syria remains the largest displacement crisis in the world with over 12 million Syrians displaced.