Lebanon: Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Mr. Najib Mikati has expressed concerns about the influx of Syrian refugees into the country, saying it could affect the nation’s demography. Over the past months, thousands of Syrian citizens have reached Lebanon through illegal crossing points, seeking a better life.
At the start of a cabinet meeting, Mr. Mikati stated that the fleeing Syrians “could create harsh imbalances. “What is most worrying is that most of the refugees are young men and women,” the Lebanon PM commented.
“That threatens our entity’s independence and could create harsh imbalances that could affect Lebanon’s demographic balance,” Mr. Mikati noted. Thousands of Syrian refugees have crossed into Lebanon in recent months through illegal crossing points as the Mediterranean nation faces its own crippling economic crisis. According to the PM, another cabinet session will be held next week with the commander of the army and heads of security agencies to discuss the issue of refugees.
Syrians continue to flee the conflict that has engulfed the country since 2011, which has since killed half a million people and displaced half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. In the early years of the conflict, Lebanon received hundreds of thousands of refugees. But after its economic crisis broke out in October 2019, the numbers changed.
Renewed protests are taking place in Syria as anger grows over deteriorating living conditions, particularly in the southern province of Sweida. Protesters have also been demanding the removal of President Mr. Bashar al-Assad.
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