Refugees hope to return home to Syria
(15 Mar 2019) LEADIN: Many Syrian refugees in Lebanon have learnt to live in informal settlements. But now, after eight years of conflict, some are considering returning home. STORYLINE: This refugee camp in Lebanon has provided shelter for Syrians seeking safety. Here there are as many stories of loss, dispossession and desperate hope as there are people. After eight years of grinding conflict, many displaced Syrians have had to make temporary provisions something permanent. The population of Lebanon's lush Bekaa Valley, where informal settlements for refugees have been set up, has more than doubled since the Syrian conflict began in 2011. Amouna Nour al-Ali is a Syrian woman who fled her home in the countryside outside Aleppo. She has been in the camp for almost eight years and has set up a small shop to provide for her sick and blind husband, and her blind son. "Our conditions are difficult," she says. "We hope to return to Syria, our country." Syria's war has displaced half the pre-war population of 23 million people, of which 5.6 million have fled the country. As the crisis enters its ninth year, almost six million people have fled Syria, many living in precarious conditions in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. In Lebanon, Syrians make up nearly a quarter of the population, but some are returning to Syria. Khaled, who fled from Syria's Aleppo province in 2012, says he has had enough of war and displacement. His wife returned to Syria two months ago. But he is not able to return because he has no identification papers and runs the risk of getting arrested by authorities if he goes back. "We now live in tents and life is miserable here," he says. "If the road back is secured to bring us back to our country, we would need nothing more," he adds. For many, life continues in the camp - cooking, or having tea. Abu Mohammed, originally from Aleppo, is fed up. "Enough war after eight years," he says. "Enough humiliation with some people going to European countries and others to neighbouring countries. Only our country can take us in." But for those who return to Syria, further hardships await. More than 6 million Syrians them have been forced from their homes but remain in the country. The U.N. has said that 3.3 billion US Dollars would be needed to help meet Syria's own aid needs this year, plus a further 5.5 billion US Dollars to support neighbouring countries such as Lebanon where many Syrians are seeking refuge. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
