Nearly 40,000 people have fled Syria's sectarian violence for neighboring Lebanon over the past three months. With many fearful of returning anytime soon, their arrival adds a new layer to Lebanon's protracted humanitarian crisis at a moment when aid groups are badly underfunded and overstretched.
Most of the new arrivals are Alawites, a religious minority who were the target of an early March wave of killings that saw forces affiliated with the new Syrian government carry out retaliatory massacres [7] in Alawite-majority areas. This came after groups loyal to the former regime of president Bashar al-Assad attacked security forces—al-Assad is an Alawite and Syria's coastal provinces of Latakia [8] and Tartous were once seen as his strongholds.
At least 800 people are believed to have been killed [11] in early March, although the exact death count is still not clear. When the violence began, thousands of people—mostly Alawites—sought safety in Lebanon, and people are still crossing the border. Most are staying in Alawite villages in Lebanon's northern Akkar province, in places like the tiny northern border village of Massoudiyeh, which has nearly doubled in size to around 11,380 people.
"There are more and more people coming every week," said Massoudiyeh mayor Ali al-Ali, speaking to The New Humanitarian in between back-to-back meetings with aid groups and people who came to his office seeking help.
"Many towns and villages—including Massoudiyeh—are no longer able to adequately accommodate [the new arrivals]," he said. "There are no proper reception centers. People are sleeping in garages, shops, out on the streets, and in the municipal hall."
—Hanna Davis for The New Humanitarian [9], June 4, excerpt. Internal inks added. Read more here [9].
