Business community fears effects of Syrian exodus

1.1 million refugees in the country so far

The Lebanese Businessmen Association (RDCL) urged the government to act more thoroughly in order to deal with the increasing influx of Syrian Refugees. “The rising economic consequences of this influx require dispatching an emergency team to follow up on this issue closely,” RDCL members said during a meeting with the national coordinator of the Syria crisis response plan. They expressed hopes that the United Nations (UN) would soon present an urgent rescue plan for that purpose.

Ramzi Naaman, Chief Coordinator of Lebanon’s Syria response plan, said the last count of refugees registered with the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) stood at 500,000 while some 600,000 non-registered immigrants are estimated to have entered the country. “The number of registered refugees in Lebanon is expected to reach 1.5 million by the end of the year 2013, this is besides the unregistered immigrants,” said Naaman. Refugees are disseminated in more than 1,100 villages all over the country.

The exodus is causing a social and economic crisis affecting most of the country, Naaman said: “We are witnessing an alarming increase by more than 50 percent in the crime rate, compared to previous years.”

Naaman also said the massive refugee influx is putting pressure on local resources: “Almost all the quantities of subsidized wheat flour for the year 2013 have already been consumed. The weak infrastructure was already unable to support a population of four million, so how could it also support an up to 50 percent increase in population?”


Reported by Joelle Nassar