Lebanon to Resume Sending Refugees Back to War-Damaged Syria
BEIRUT—Lebanon will start sending Syrian refugees back home at the end of next week, President Michel Aoun said on Wednesday, in a process a security official described as voluntary, despite rights groups’ fears for their safety.
Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. The government estimates that the country’s population of over 6 million includes roughly 1.5 million refugees from neighbouring Syria, though well under 1 million are registered with the UNHCR.
The head of Lebanon’s General Security agency, which is responsible for the country’s borders, said the returns would be voluntary and based on a mechanism first used in 2018….