07 April 2012

BEIRUT: The U.N. High Commission for Refugees has recorded one of its biggest weekly increases in refugee numbers, following calls from local officials for the body to revise official numbers to accurately reflect the situation on the ground.

There are now 9,408 Syrian refugees registered with the UNHCR and the Higher Relief Committee in North Lebanon, according to the latest weekly report from the U.N. body, up from 8,594 the previous week.

The UNHCR has also recorded an increase of 1,500 refugees it is aiding in the Bekaa, up to approximately 7,500.

Their report estimates a further 2,000 to 3,000 people are registered in Tripoli and surrounding areas.

A coalition of Islamic charities that provides services for thousands of refugees around the country estimates that actual figures are much higher, with around 27,000 refugees in Lebanon. Local charities have called on the government and the UNHCR to better assess the figures of refugees in the country and provide aid accordingly.

The UNHCR also reported the need to find additional housing for Syrian refugees. While the majority reside with host families, housing has become increasingly difficult to find as the numbers of the displaced increase.

The body reported that it has identified five abandoned buildings – three in Minyeh and two in Tripoli – that may be able to house up to 250 refugees in the north.

Last week it reported that it had formed an agreement along with the Norwegian Refugee Council for the renovation of 18 unused mosques in the Baalbek town of Arsal, to house a further 250 refugees.

The head of a coalition of Islamic charities Monday said it would set up refugee camps if the housing situation was not addressed by the government.

The UNHCR also reported a disruption of the distribution of aid in the north and the Masharih al-Qaa area, due to “security issues.”

Meanwhile, an eight-year-old Syrian girl died of cardiac arrest and septic shock at Halba government hospital Thursday. She had been living with her family in a shelter in Ibra, in the Mashta Hammoud area of Wadi Khaled in Akkar.

According to the report, 26 wounded Syrians were admitted to hospitals in Lebanon during the week.

The UNHCR also announced the launching of a website providing up-to-date information on Syrian refugee figures in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, at http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees.

Copyright The Daily Star 2012.