Kelley Says U.N. has No Count of Refugee Numbers in Arsal
The UNHCR's representative in Lebanon, Ninette Kelley, has said it was difficult to know the number of Syrians who have taken refuge in the northeastern border town of Arsal.
“We know that we have registered 45,000 refugees there. And we believe that the town continues to embrace refugees whose numbers cannot be determined,” Kelley told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published in An Nahar daily on Monday.
She expressed fear over the presence of terrorists on the Lebanon-Syria border, saying “we are concerned like all parties on Lebanon's security and territorial integrity.”
“What happened in Arsal, in addition to the continued abduction of the soldiers, which is a tragic event, is a source of concern to us,” Kelley told An Nahar.
Asked how the UNHCR differentiates between fighters and refugees, she threw the ball in the Lebanese authorities' court, saying “the issue is linked to the responsibility of the state.”
“We don't register any fighter. Eighty two percent of registered (refugees) are women and children,” she added.
Jihadists from al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State overran Arsal in August and took with them hostages from the army and police. They later executed three of them.
Many Syrians, who were in refugee encampments in Arsal, took part in the bloody fighting against the army.
Kelley confirmed on Saturday increased restrictions by the Lebanese authorities at the border with Syria after Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas said that Lebanon "no longer officially receives any displaced Syrians."
"Our understanding is that people who are coming to claim refugee status are not being permitted to enter in the way that they were previously," Kelley told Agence France Presse.
"What we've seen over the last two to three weeks is that there are greater restrictions... We've seen that there are fewer people approaching us for registration which is also indicative of tightening of the border."
Kelley said there were no precise figures on the number of refugees allowed to enter.
More than 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon have put massive pressure on the country's limited resources and contributed to rising tensions.
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