BEIRUT- Lebanese Minister of the Displaced Issam Charafeddine on Thursday called on Syrian authorities to cooperate in managing the common border amid a new wave of illegal immigration from Syria to Lebanon.
Charafeddine made the appeal as the Lebanese army, short of troops, is not capable of controlling the shared border by itself, the National News Agency reported.
He also called on Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi to punish anyone who hosts a newly displaced person illegally entering Lebanon, according to the report.
The minister revealed that the number of unauthorized arrivals in Lebanon reached 8,000 in August and has exceeded 20,000 so far this year.
At a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed his concerns about the new wave of Syrian refugees through illegal crossings into Lebanon, saying “it could threaten Lebanon’s independence and impose a severe imbalance in the country.”
Also on Thursday, the Lebanese army announced that it has prevented the illegal entry of around 1,200 Syrian nationals over the past week.
The country’s security forces have been cracking down on human smuggling in areas bordering Syria, as Lebanon is suffering a major financial crisis and the refugees weigh heavily on its already strained economy.
Lebanon, a country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, is home to about 1.5 million Syrian refugees.
According to a report by Asharq Al-Awsat these refugees are fleeing dire economic and living conditions in Syria, marking a new wave of displacement following the security-driven causes that led to the initial wave several years ago.
These displaced individuals are coordinating with traffickers who transport them covertly through unauthorized routes into Lebanese territory. This issue has prompted a political and security alert within Lebanon, aiming to prevent the exacerbation of this phenomenon, which has intensified in recent weeks.
One Syrian refugee, Fadi S., aged 24, told Asharq Al-Awsat upon his arrival in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, that he had only a single dollar in his pocket, insufficient to purchase essential supplies from a local supermarket.
His journey from Syria’s Homs to the Lebanese Bekaa region had depleted all his resources, and the $100 sent by his uncle to pay the human trafficker to bring him into Lebanon was exhausted.
Fadi’s intention upon arriving in Lebanon is to seek employment.
The journey Fadi took to Baalbek was arduous, spanning 13 hours and involving passage through illegal border crossings and rugged paths.
However, it was relatively easy to navigate these obstacles because, as he mentioned, “the smugglers are familiar with illegal border crossings that are unknown to Syrian and Lebanese security personnel.”
Fadi entered through an illegal crossing north of Hermel in the far northeast of Lebanon, along with a group of 17 Syrians, most of whom were young individuals seeking employment.
“I fled the hellish economic conditions, the unbearable cost of living in Syria, and the significant devaluation of the Syrian pound,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“Life has become exceedingly harsh in Syria due to the exchange rate soaring to 14,000 Syrian pounds for one US dollar, while the daily wages for agricultural and construction workers in Syria do not exceed three dollars (40,000 Syrian pounds),” Fadi further explained.
Syria’s exchange rate before the 2011 revolution was 47 pounds to the US dollar
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat under conditions of anonymity, a security source in the Bekaa region revealed that the fees charged by smuggling gangs per person “range from $100 to $600, depending on the nature of the journey.”
Smuggling routes span a vast area, starting from Suweiri in southern Bekaa and extending to the far northeast of Lebanon, covering the entire northern border region. Smuggling is considered easier in the north due to the dense vegetation cover that conceals infiltrators.
The source, who requested anonymity, pointed out that those fleeing to Lebanon come from all Syrian regions without exception.
Hezbollah should be able to help
Commenting on Charafeddine’s appeal for Syria’s help, Shukri Slim an observer based in the Beqaa region told Ya Libnan: ” The only group that knows all the illegal border points between Lebanon and Syria is Hezbollah.” He added: “Most of the illegal border points and the routs leading to them were established by Hezbollah during the past 10 years when it helped the Syrian dictator in crushing the revolution. Instead of asking for Syria’s help Sharafeddine should. ask for Hezbollah’s help , since he is allied with them and they should be able to help.”
Xinhua/ Asharq Al Awsat
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