Making life hard for Syrian refugees will not compel them to leave
Not until real change occurs in Syria
ON DECEMBER 26TH a scuffle broke out between Syrian refugees and residents of the Lebanese town of Bhanine, north of Tripoli. That night the row, allegedly over unpaid wages, turned ugly. Shots were fired. Armed villagers then set fire to the refugees’ tents, causing them to flee and sleep rough in nearby fields. When they returned the next morning their makeshift camp was little more than a patch of charred debris.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Here to stay, however miserable”
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