Trucks carrying luggage for Syrian refugees returning to Syria, Nov. 5, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Bekaa correspondent Sarah Abdallah)
On Wednesday, General Security announced a series of restrictive measures aimed at “containing and regulating the issue of Syrians present in Lebanon,” at a time when the country is facing an upsurge in xenophobic acts against them, and the resumption of “voluntary and safe returns” of Syrians to their country.
In a press release published on X, General Security explains that it is now asking “Syrians who contravene the entry and residence regime [in Lebanon] to go immediately to the border centers to regularize their situation,” and calls on them to leave Lebanese territory until their situation is regularized, on pain of legal proceedings. The General Security also announced “the resumption of voluntary and secure returns of Syrians wishing to return home,” without giving further details on this new operation.
Several “voluntary return” convoys were organized between 2018 and 2022, with the aim of “helping” Syrians, refugees in Lebanon since the start of the war in their country in 2011, to return home. This process has often been criticized by international organizations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Amnesty International, who see it as disguised expulsions. There have been no such convoys since November 2022, as L'Orient-Le Jour was able to confirm with General Security last January. The last of these convoys, organized on Nov. 5, 2022, attracted just a few hundred refugees, whereas the Lebanese government was aiming, at the time, to ensure the return home of 15,000 Syrians per month.
The killing last April of Pascal Sleiman, head of the Jbeil regional office of the Lebanese Forces, by a Syrian gang, according to the Lebanese army, led to an upsurge in xenophobic acts against Syrians in Lebanon. Several acts of aggression and violence against them have been reported in recent weeks.
On Wednesday, General Security also called on the Lebanese “not to employ or harbor Syrians residing illegally in Lebanon,” on pain of sanctions. It also prohibited the hiring of “Syrians registered with the UNHCR, except for jobs predefined” by the Lebanese authorities. The statement did not provide details of the jobs authorized for Syrians.
The conditions for obtaining or renewing residence permits have also been tightened. General Security said it would no longer issue residence permits on presentation of a rental contract or a guarantor, and announced “a change in the conditions for renewing residence permits by means of a financial guarantee.”
General Security also threatened to penalize those who employ Syrians illegally and said it would close down businesses owned by Syrian offenders.
Lastly, General Security's general management stated that it had sent a written note to the UNHCR requesting more details on the refugees registered with this UN body, “to make good use of them as part of its strategic plan to resolve the issue of displaced Syrians.”
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.