11 Years On: Revisiting the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon (original) (raw)
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Refugees of the Arab Spring: The Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Refugees of the Arab Spring: The Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, 2012
“Refugees of the Arab Spring”: The Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, Research Paper Series No. 1/2012, Carthage Center for Research and Information (CCRI) of the Lebanese Development Network (LDN) and the Lebanese Emigration Research Center (LERC) of Notre Dame University (NDU), published by the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS) of the American University of Cairo (AUC), 2012, [ISSN 2221-3333]. This review of one year's influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon is meant to reveal the political, communitarian, and humanitarian factors that shape the State of Lebanon's policy towards it. The Lebanese government has lately adopted a ‘disassociation’ policy regarding the Syrian conflict with the objective of preventing the spill-over of the conflict and the destabilization of the country. Regional and international powers well understand the reasons for this policy, given Lebanon's geopolitical situation, its history, and its "special ties' with Syria. However, while Lebanon might be able to disassociate itself from the political entanglements of the Syrian crisis, it cannot distance itself from dealing with the growing numbers of Syrian refugees on its territory. A policy of neglect has characterized the Lebanese government’s de facto relationship to the humanitarian crisis of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Their basic needs for shelter, education, and medical assistance have been met by a combination of packages devised, without Lebanon’s participation, by the UN and the latter’s implementing partners. The Lebanese government has also allowed unsupervised religious charities to dominate refugee assistance, adding to a sectarian approach to the Syrian refugee crisis. This policy is beginning to feed back into the tensions that already divide ethnic and religious groups in the country. Against the background of these findings, this report analyzes the need for the Lebanese authorities to design an adequate refugee protection framework in consultation with the UNHCR and to devise a temporary protection status for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. A new agreement or Memorandum of Understanding between Lebanon and UNHCR should take into consideration Lebanon's complex history with refugees on its territory and the political consequences of hosting refugees from a neighboring state. This approach would facilitate Lebanon's obligation to abide by international refugee protection laws while, most importantly from the point of view of Lebanese sovereignty, preventing a further spillover of the Syrian conflict into Lebanon. Consequently, such a framework could provide a model for an adequate regional response to other migration flows of Arab Spring refugees in the Middle East.
The Impact of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon
One of the most dramatic consequences of the Syrian civil war has been the massive displacement of civilians in and outside of Syria. Syrian refugees now constitute more than a quarter of the population in Lebanon. Although the government declared a policy of disassociation – a policy of professed neutrality regarding Syria – this has been undermined due to the presence of a plethora of actors with differing interests. Refugee flow has had severe impacts on national security and the economy, leading to further destabilization in Lebanon. The refugee flow has placed a serious burden on public services delivery including education, healthcare, housing, sanitation, water, and electricity, as well as on physical infrastructure which has lacked adequate capacity. Labor competition and the feeling that Syrians receive different financial treatment has generated ambivalent attitutes and resentments among locals. Both government and public concerns regarding the Syrian crisis and refugees may increase sectarian volatility and deepen pre-existing tensions due to the long and tortured history of Syria-Lebanon relations and increasing involvement of Hezbollah in Syria. One extreme risk might be the militarization of refugees. A strong government and regional/international support are vital for Lebanon to ensure stability in such a destabilizing situation.
This political brief aims at presenting the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon by highlighting the centrality of politics to the plight of refugees. Having been forced to flee Syria, we argue that Syrian refugees are stuck in Lebanon without a coherent policy framework and may be forced to return home without any guarantees of safety or stability. The situation of Syrian refugees cannot be analyzed without an understanding of the Lebanese political scene between 2011 and 2018. This political brief is addressed to Lebanese policy-makers in their capacity as responsible for navigating every-day politics and for developing a strategy for the protection and return of refugees. The Lebanese government is constantly negotiating its position with the international community, as well as with national counterparts, regarding refugees. Politics continues to be central in this negotiation process and in shaping the response to the crisis. By focusing on the relational aspect of politics and refugee response, this brief highlights the plight of Syrian refugees and offers potential recommendations.
‘We’re Not There Yet...’ Voices of refugees from Syria in Lebanon
Oxfam Research Reports are written to share research results, to contribute to public debate and to invite feedback on development and humanitarian policy and practice. They do not necessarily reflect Oxfam policy positions. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Oxfam. www.oxfam.org Children throw rocks into the sea in a camp for Palestinian refugees in Northern Lebanon. Violent clashes erupted in this camp in 2007, resulting in the displacement of more than 30,000 people. Photo: Nour/2017 'WE'RE NOT THERE YET…' Voices of refugees from Syria in Lebanon NOUR SHAWAF AND FRANCESCA EL ASMAR OXFAM Photos in this report were taken by Syrian and Palestinian refugee volunteers Oxfam Research Reports Oxfam Research Reports are written to share research results, to contribute to public debate and to invite feedback on development and humanitarian policy and practice. They do not necessarily reflect Oxfam policy positions. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Oxfam.
Lebanon: The Refugee Issue and the Threat of a Sectarian Confrontation
Oriente Moderno, 2014
This article highlights the many dimensions of the threat that exists nowadays in Lebanon regarding the impact of the Syrian uprising turning into a civil war. To do so, I will firstly focus on the issue of Syrian refugee in Lebanon. Recalling the Syrian-Lebanese complex relationship, the article delves in the collective memory of the Palestinian issue in Lebanon that pops up again as thousands of them are fleeing Syria to seek refuge in Palestinian camps. In the second part, the article addresses the related question of Sunnis/Shiites tensions that have become a significant factor in the Syrian civil war and that have been imported into Lebanon by major political parties and entrepreneurs of violence.