Lebanon: Fire Forces 370 Syrian Refugees To Leave Miniyeh Camp

A feud between a Lebanese family and a Syrian family on Saturday sparked a fire that burned down the Syrian refugee camp in Miniyeh, in northern Lebanon.

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While agency ANN reported that the fire left three people injured, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Khaled Kabbara said that some 80 tents housing 370 people were burned "to the ground with all their belongings."

The informal camp was evacuated and some Syrian refugee families were taken in by other members of the Syrian community living in the town. The authorities are already working to rebuild the settlement in the same place.

The Army detained two Lebanese and six Syrians related to the incidents that led to the fire. The authorities mentioned that weapons, ammunition, and military equipment were found in the houses of the detainees.

Syria’s Foreign Affairs Minister regretted the events and called on the Lebanese Judiciary to guarantee the protection of Syrian citizens. I have also renewed the invitation to Syrian refugees who left their country due to the civil war to "return to their homeland".

This is not the first time that a similar incident has occurred in Lebanon against Syrian refugees. At the end of November, at least 270 families were forced to leave Bcharee city because of "collective reprisals against Syrians" following a crime perpetrated by a single individual.

As a result of the civil war in Syria, 6.6 million citizens are internally displaced and 5,553,896 Syrians left for other countries. According to UNHCR, 880,414 Syrian refugees are officially registered in Lebanon.