Refugee agency chief warns that the number of Syrians leaving Lebanon is likely to rise
BRUSSELS (AP) — The number of Syrian refugees leaving Lebanon is likely to keep rising, the head of a top international agency working with migrants warned Tuesday, as pressure builds due to their arrival on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Amy Pope, director general of the International Organization for Migration, said that around 3,000 Syrians have left Lebanon since January, compared to 4,500 for the whole of last year. Many of them have headed to Cyprus, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) away.
In response, Cyprus suspended the processing of asylum applications by Syrian nationals earlier this month due to the large numbers. Cypriot authorities have reportedly dispatched police patrol vessels just outside Lebanese territorial waters to thwart refugee boats trying to head to Cyprus.
Pope told The Associated Press that governments are cutting aid funding to agencies working with people who have fled Syria, which has been ravaged by civil war for over 13 years, and that this is making things worse. At the same time, some Lebanese communities are getting tired of hosting them.
Related articles
Kristin Cavallari, 37, ignores critics of her age
Kristin Cavallari is enjoying a romantic rendezvous with her much younger cowboy lover Mark Estes in2024-05-217.3 magnitude quake strikes Taiwan
(ECNS) -- A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the sea area near Hualien of China's Taiwan at 7:58 a.m. We2024-05-21Severe convection causes 4 deaths, more than 10 injuries in E China
(ECNS) -- Severe atmospheric convection involving strong winds, thunderstorms, and heavy rainfall hi2024-05-21Will Biden address the Agent Orange legacy during his visit to Asia?
This photo taken on Dec 8, 2022 shows the US Capitol building in Washington, DC, the United States.2024-05-21OpenAI pauses ChatGPT voice after Scarlett Johansson comparisons
NEW YORK (AP) — OpenAI says it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices after some users s2024-05-21(W.E. Talk) Salikyu Sangtam: How to view global politics from the Chinese Tianxia perspective?
By Cui Bailu, Xiao Yudi & Wen Longjie from CNSThe first Wuyi Forum hosted by Renmin University o2024-05-21
atest comment