Refugee agency chief warns that the number of Syrians leaving Lebanon is likely to rise
Release time：2024-05-21 17:43:35 Source：International Identities news portal
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.
- Previous：Russian theater director and playwright go on trial over a play authorities say justifies terrorism
- Next：Uber and Lyft say they'll stay in Minnesota after Legislature passes driver pay compromise
Related articles
- NBA playoffs: Edwards leads Wolves to 98
- From the glamour of Cannes to arty hilltop villages: Inside Provence
- From noise
- Perfect respite from eight million mopeds and motorbikes: Inside the Park Hyatt Saigon
- Investigators return to Long Island home of Gilgo Beach serial killing suspect
- Avid traveler documents his WILD journey to Utupua, one of the most REMOTE outcrops in the world
- A brush with Van Gogh in picture
- The legal battle over the abortion pill has reached the Supreme Court. Here's what to know.
- Kristin Cavallari, 37, ignores critics of her age
- I'm a chef living on a superyacht
- Inquiry slams UK authorities for failures that killed thousands in infected blood scandal
- Trump posts $175 million bond in New York fraud case
- Inside the chocolate
- A brush with Van Gogh in picture
- Mystery artist who erected signs comparing pothole
- The legal battle over the abortion pill has reached the Supreme Court. Here's what to know.
- Gas prices are on the rise again. Here's where experts say they are going next.
- I'm a Brit
- Russian theater director and playwright go on trial over a play authorities say justifies terrorism
- People from across the globe reveal the 'obvious signs that someone is an American'
Random recommendation