LEBANON: Syrian refugees who have fled violence and bloodshed into neighbouring Lebanon spend their second Eid in exile

Record ID: 276300

  • Title: LEBANON: Syrian refugees who have fled violence and bloodshed into neighbouring Lebanon spend their second Eid in exile
  • Date: 8th November 2011
  • Summary: FAMILIES GATHERED IN THE MAIN YARD CHILDREN WEARING NEW CLOTHES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UM HAMZA, SYRIAN REFUGEE IN LEBANON, SAYING:"We don't have Eid anymore. Eid can only be in our country, next to our relatives and loved ones. We wish to go back to our country as soon as possible and to get rid of Bashar al-Assad because he is the reason for our suffering." VARIOUS OF CH
  • Embargoed: 23rd November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon, Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: International Relations,Religion,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA29OGBAOBKHG0OOFAKHO30HFKU
  • Story Text: Nestled in the Wadi Khaled valley in Lebanon, a local school has become a refuge for hundreds of Syrians escaping a violent government crackdown on protesters demanding regime change in Damascus.
    Many fled from Syria's Homs province, a particularly bloody centre of uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, into north Lebanon.
    More than 3,800 displaced Syrian refugees have registered with the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in north Lebanon, which is close to Homs.
    The refugees live in fear of Syrian authorities, who they say have crossed into Lebanon. They do not venture out of the school premises, fearful that they would be captured and handed over to the regime.
    They would not give their full name for fear of retribution against their relatives still in the Syrian town of Tel Kalakh, most of whom are active in the revolt.
    Some who fled to north Lebanon, across a border marked by a river trickling between green banks and thickets, say their relatives have taken up arms against the Syrian military.
    Refugees at the school complained they had had hardly any water or electricity for the past three days and were sharing a few oil stoves to try to keep warm.
    Many are running out of money, but say they fear to leave the school, amid growing but unconfirmed rumours that Syria's secret police have kidnapped dissidents hiding in Lebanon.
    One man found solace in poetry.
    "In what conditions you came (Eid). Worries are worse and ease is a castle in the sky. Tears of our eyes are burning for our martyrs, and hearts are burning with sorrow," said the refugee Mussab.
    "This is the second Eid for us in refuge in this country because of (President) Bashar al-Assad and his criminal gang, who have done a lot (of harm) to us. This miserable condition of health, and living in general, is the way we live now. It's obvious," he said.
    A tearful Um Hamza said her family was longing to be united with their relatives back home.
    "We don't have Eid anymore. Eid can only be in our country, next to our relatives and loved ones. We wish to go back to our country as soon as possible and to get rid of Bashar al-Assad because he is the reason of our suffering," she said.
    Another refugee, Jamal, said circumstances are very difficult for the refugee children.
    "There is no Eid now; this is the worst we have ever spent. All Eids are dreadful as long as Bashar al-Assad and his regime exist. This is the worst Eid also because we are refugees -- away from our country, our friends, and our families. Even our children aren't enjoying because each one is asking to see his grandfather, uncles, aunts. It's a tragedy," he said.
    Sympathies are split in Wadi Khaled, a remote part of north Lebanon where smuggling thrived until Syria's troubles disrupted trade. Many families here have relatives across the border.
    Villagers belonging to Assad's minority Alawite sect plaster their homes with pictures of the Syrian leader.
    Sunni Muslim charities offer weekly food rations to the mostly Sunni refugees camped out in derelict buildings. More fortunate refugees have been taken in by local families.
    A local resident brings a few smiles to the faces of children when she visits the school with a large plastic bag full of sweaters and dolls, eagerly snatched up by children who flock around her.
    A local women's charity says the refugees were facing the onset of winter in the mountainous region, where roads and services are poor even for many locals.
    Mothers take turns cooking simple stews of beans and tomatoes on a tiny stove, but say they have nothing special to mark an Eid holiday they would rather forget this year.
    Muslims usually celebrate Eid al-Adha, at the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, with new clothes and amusements for children and meals cooked from freshly slaughtered sheep.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
Register