On the Way Home: Displaced Lebanese Return from Syria
Nine-year-old Malak watched with interest as her mother and
grandmother bid a tearful goodbye to friends. For the past several
weeks, they had sheltered at the Ramleh school, about 200
kilometres from the Syrian capital Damascus. Malak’s family
is among some 180,000 Lebanese who fled to Syria in the wake of the
conflict. About 110,000 of them are reported to have already
returned home since the ceasefire was announced earlier this week.
Many of those who remain in Syria lack the resources to make their
way back.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have
activated a joint fund to help the return of thousands of such
people. The Rapid Response Transportation Fund covers the cost of
transporting the displaced people to safe, key locations in Beirut
and other key cities. It also enables vulnerable returnees to pay
for food and local transport to their final destinations in towns
and villages across Lebanon.
Malak's father, uncle and grandfather did not leave Lebanon in
spite of the bombardment of areas close to where they lived. In
fact, the entire family had stayed put during the first few days of
the bombing of Beirut. "But when a bridge was blown up close to
where we lived, we had no choice but to flee," said Malak’s
grandmother Zahra Zaroor. She, her two daughters and four
grandchildren managed to reach the safety of Syria. "We were glad
to get away from death and destruction. It was terrible!"
I met Zahra after she'd settled down into the comfort of an
IOM-sponsored bus. I was accompanying a group of people to the Al
Arida border on the shores of the Mediterranean. It's a crossing
point that has been frequently used by IOM convoys bringing foreign
migrant workers out of war-torn Lebanon over the past few
weeks.
A relaxed atmosphere set in, after IOM officials spoke to the
group, reassuring them that they would be transported to their
chosen destinations. Leaflets warning the returnees of the dangers
of unexploded ordnance and mines were distributed to every one.
“This is a vital form of assistance to the returnees. We need
to caution them about hazards like these as they are likely to find
themselves in vulnerable situations when they return,” said
Rana Jaber, IOM Emergency Movement Coordinator in Syria, as she
noted with satisfaction that both children and adults were taking a
close look at the leaflets.
An IOM doctor was also on board the bus, offering instant
medical attention to those who needed it. “We often find on
such occasions that people complain of hypertension,
headaches and diarrhoea,” Dr Al Hussein Moshaaoeh explained,
as he checked Zahra’s blood pressure.
While Zahra said she dreaded what they might be confronted with
back in Lebanon, she was definitely eager to go back. Her daughter
Aida sat next to her. She was trying to comfort her
mentally-handicapped child, cradling her in her arms. “Of
course we are happy to have assistance to go back,” Aida told
me. “But we are very upset about what happened to many people
who remained behind in Lebanon.”
For 62-year-old Zahra, fleeing from the latest fighting revoked
painful memories. Her family had fled to Lebanon from Palestinian
territory when she was a little girl way back in 1948. Since then,
she had lived in a refugee camp for Palestinians near the capital
Beirut.
There were more Lebanese Palestinians among the group. Ahmad
Ibrahim Ahmad had traveled to Syria to visit relatives here. They
stayed on when they heard of the bombing back home. “I heard
that the homes of three of my sisters were destroyed. I don’t
know what’s become of our house.” His wife and two
children listened solemnly to what Ahmad was saying. Ahmad had
built up a successful furniture business before the conflict. At 40
years of age, he’s a second-generation Palestinian living in
Lebanon.
We bid the group farewell at the Syria-Lebanon border but an IOM
escort was to stay with them till they were dropped off at
prearranged locations in and around Beirut. “Although we
can’t all accompany them into Lebanon, we remain in contact
over phone with our escort until every one has been safely
returned,” Munzer Al Nemr, IOM Syria’s Operations
Assistant, explained.
For Malak’s family, the return journey home was clearly
more comfortable and easier than their flight out of Lebanon. The
nine-year-old herself said she was looking forward to going back to
school.