Hundreds of Syrian refugees fled their makeshift camp in northern Lebanon after their tents were burnt to the ground when fighting broke out between local youths and camp residents, aid officials said on Sunday.
At least three people were wounded in the clash on Saturday in the Miniyeh region near the coastal city of Tripoli, which was followed by youth setting the campsite on fire, Lebanon’s state-owned National News Agency said.
Damascus urged Lebanon’s judicial authorities and its security forces to “shoulder their responsibility” to ensure its nationals were protected.
Hundreds of Syrian refugees were forced to flee their camp in al-Miniyeh, northern Lebanon after it was set on fire following a fight between locals and the camp residents. pic.twitter.com/owg362F3UG
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) December 28, 2020
“Syria regrets the fire… that led to terrifying its inhabitants and them being deprived of a shelter,” the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement on state media.
The ministry also called on “Syrians forced to leave their country by an unjust war to return” home.
Khaled Kabarra, a UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesman, said the nearly 400 residents who fled the camp went to other enclosed encampments or found temporary shelter in vacant schools and hotels.
“We saw a remarkable level of solidarity from the Lebanese community offering vacant shelters, including hospitals and schools,” Kabarra added.
Eight people arrested
Lebanon’s army said it had arrested eight people after the incident.
The army said it “arrested two Lebanese nationals and six Syrians over a personal dispute… between a number of Lebanese men and Syrian workers,” according to a statement.
Hundreds of Syrian refugees fled their makeshift camp in north Lebanon after their tents were torched when fighting broke out between local youths and camp residents, aid officials said on Sunday. https://t.co/C5CzYhiwA3
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 27, 2020
“The Lebanese men fired bullets in the air and torched the tents of Syrian refugees,” it added, without elaborating on the cause of the altercation.
Later on Sunday, dozens of refugees returned to the remains of the camp to try to salvage anything that might have survived the blaze.
“I came back to check on belongings inside our small tent only to discover that we no longer own anything,” said Amira Issa, a 45-year-old mother of five who fled Syria eight years ago.
“We lost everything in one moment,” she said, sobbing.
The fire sparked an outpouring of sympathy on social media from Lebanese, who condemned what they called a racist attack.
Racism on the rise
Lebanon has seen a rise in tensions between refugees and residents in recent years that humanitarian workers and politicians say have been fuelled by both racism and anger of Lebanese who blame refugees for taking their jobs amid a financial crisis.
Lebanon has more than a million Syrian refugees who have fled their homes since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011. Many are migrant workers and a main source of cheap labour for the construction and agriculture sectors.
Authorities have called on refugees to return to Syria even though rights groups warn that the war-torn country is not yet safe.
In November, around 270 Syrian refugee families fled the northern Lebanese town of Bsharre after a Syrian national was accused of shooting dead a Lebanese resident, sparking widespread tension and hostility.
Tensions between Lebanese and Syrians also date back to the days when Syria dominated its smaller neighbor for almost three decades with thousands of troops stationed in Lebanon.
They withdrew in 2005 following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which sparked massive anti-Syrian protests.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
