BEIRUT (Xinhua) – Syrian refugee Jamal Abu Lutfi and his family gathered around an old wood-burning stove in their tent in Lebanon’s Bekaa town of Saadnayel, worrying about their future after receiving a text message from the United Nations.
The message informed them about the UN’s plan to halt its monthly financial assistance from the beginning of 2023.
“We were shocked by this sudden and disappointing decision, which will cause embarrassment and hardship for my family. We will simply not be able to secure our urgent needs given the insane inflation that is going on in Lebanon,” Abu Lutfi told Xinhua.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) stated in November that they would cease monthly financial aid to 35,000 of the 269,000 displaced Syrian families living in Lebanon in January 2023, citing insufficient funding and resources.
Dalal Abu Huwaili, another Syrian refugee, believed that the decision will enhance the displaced people’s sorrow rather than urge them to return to their homeland.
“Most of the displaced prefer to return to their homeland when a comprehensive political solution is reached in Syria, and the war is over. Only then we can have a safe environment to repair our houses and live peacefully,” she said.
Ahmad al-Suwaiqi, a sergeant at the displaced camp of Marj al-Khoukh in the southern town of Marjeyoun, told Xinhua that the messages sent by the UN sparked a wave of panic among refugees as the vast majority depend on financial aid for their livelihood.
Lisa Abou Khaled, a spokeswoman for UNHCR, told Xinhua that the total number of families receiving monthly cash assistance will decrease by 35,000 families in 2023 due to insufficient resources and funding.
She added that most families who will stop receiving assistance will be replaced by newly selected families that have not been assisted until now.
She noted that around 78 percent of Syrian refugee families in Lebanon (234,000 out of 269,000 families) will be receiving monthly cash assistance in 2023, including from UNHCR, WFP, and some non-governmental organizations.
On October 26, Lebanon resumed its plan to facilitate the voluntary return of displaced Syrians to their homeland, which was suspended in 2019 due to COVID-19.
Lebanon is hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with the government estimating around 2 million Syrian refugees living in the country.