Syrian refugees in dire conditions in Lebanon camps

The refugees are suffering from the lack of basic needs in the refugee camps in Lebanon, including the lack of proper medical treatment and assistance.
 
“You can see how our living conditions are like. Rain goes through the tents. The children are sick. My son has difficulty with breathing and we can’t take them to hospitals, unless it is an emergency,” said a refugee.
 
Among all Syria’s neighboring countries, Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees with at least 260,000 people, which is equal to 6.5 percent of Lebanon’s total population.
 
    Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned of the influx of the refugees from Syria to Lebanon, saying the increase in the number of the refugees requires four more camps.
 
 
UN refugee officials have appealed for more assistance, saying they have also drawn up contingency plans, which may have to be implemented as the number of the refugees continues to rise.
 
“If there is a sudden influx then we have to be prepared and this is why the camp component is included in our contingency planning,” a UNHCR spokeswoman, Dana Suleiman, said.
 
Meanwhile, the Lebanese government says it will spare no efforts to fulfill the needs of the refugees, including coordination with UN officials and regional countries.
 
“Upon the request of Lebanon, an extra ordinary Arab League meeting was held to discuss the refugees’ crisis. That meeting was followed by the summit in Kuwait, whereby 1.5 billion dollars of assistance was pledged. This assistance is now in the process of being distributed through various channels to provide aid for refugees,” Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said.
 
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
 
Several international human rights organizations say the foreign-sponsored militants have committed war crimes.