Sunday December 27, 2020
Tents lit in Lebanon
Syrians flee from a burning camp
During fighting in a makeshift refugee camp in Lebanon, young people set fire to several tents. The fire spreads and around 400 Syrian residents have to flee. They are temporarily housed in schools, hotels and other camps.
Hundreds of Syrian refugees have fled a makeshift tent city in northern Lebanon after a fire. In fighting between camp residents and young people from the area near the coastal city of Tripoli, the tents were set on fire, as aid organizations reported. At least three people were injured in the clashes. Angry young people then set the camp on fire, according to the Lebanese state news agency National News Agency. The incident took place on Saturday.
The nearly 400 fled residents found temporary shelter either in empty schools and hotels or other camps, said a spokesman for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). There are over one million Syrian refugees living in Lebanon who have fled their country since the civil war began in 2011. Many Syrians have long been working in Lebanon as migrant workers for little money in the construction and agriculture sectors.
Tensions between refugees and residents had increased in recent years. Helpers and politicians blame racism as well as the anger of the Lebanese affected by a financial crisis. They accuse the refugees of taking away their jobs.