The drama of the Syrians who returned to their homeland with nothing left: 13 years after their escape they are treated like illegal migrants

John

By John

More than 300 thousand Syrian refugees in Lebanonof which at least 200 thousand minorsthey ran away from conflict between Israel and Hezbollah returning to theirs Village. But unlike tens of thousands of Lebanese fleeing across the borderthese Syrians they are in fact considered gods migrants in their home. Mostly without ownership documents and after 13 years of exilemost of the families who arrived in recent days Homs, Raqqa and to suburbs of Damascusare composed only of mothers and their children.

It’s the story of Bassma, 34 years oldescaped in 2011 from Homsa city still semi-destroyed today Central Syria and very close to Lebanese border. There Syrian war caused the killing of more than half a million people and forced further 10 million Syrians to abandon their homes.

Among these, in addition to Bassmathere is Nizar, her husband. He, like many others husbands and fathersfor fear of being called to weapons in a country at war “always” or why wanted by the government as dissidentsthey remained in the battered neighbor Lebanon.
Nizar remained in the Lebanese valley of Bekaaa region exposed to Israeli bombings. «Still better than ending up in the regime prisons», he states Bassma.

Their three children – Luay, Ahmad and JanaOf 12, 10 and 6 years – are among the approximately 240 thousand minors returned to Syria. But they were all born in “informal” refugee camps in Lebanona country that does not recognize the statute of refugee and which, only in recent months, he applied highly discriminatory measures towards the Syrians.
Before the outbreak of large-scale wara month ago, in Lebanon in economic collapse and with a population of approx six million inhabitantsthe beyond one million Syrian refugees they were widely considered an unbearable burden and to be “sent home”. But the three children of Bassma and Nizar they don’t know what it is Syria. And on the run from Israeli bombsthe reception did not live up to expectations: the Syria today it is a country bombed almost every day by Israelcrossed by raids by foreign armies and militiassubjected to Western sanctions and suffering for the worst financial crisis in its history.

According to theUNin a month 425 thousand people they crossed the border towards Syria. Of these, 306 thousand are Syrians (72%), of which two thirds minor. The remaining are Lebanesehosted in facilities made available by Syrian government and who can receive assistance fromUNHCR. But very many Syrians who return are treated, in fact, as migrants in their own country: who he was homeowner he can hardly return because destroyed, looted, occupied by others. Those who are not owners or cannot demonstrate that they are, are forced to find other accommodations. From family membersas in the «lucky case» of Bassma and her three children.

Many are forced to sleep outdoors, in public parks or on the street. Waiting for thewinter.
The government announced it had opened 20 temporary structures and admitted that most of these are intended for Lebanese. Second Damascusi Syrians who return already have someone to welcome them.
“The situation is unlivable,” he says Bassma describing the daily difficulties of his people family members. «Here we don’t know how to put it together lunch with dinner. Everything is missing. There is no life for us.”