President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Hadi Al-Bahra, has urged Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to take decisive action to withdraw Lebanese militias, affiliated with his government, from Syrian territories. Al-Bahra’s call includes compensating Syrian residents for the homes they lost due to the presence of the Hezbollah militia, thereby facilitating their return by providing them with the means to rebuild their lives. This initiative, he emphasized, is a gesture of goodwill crucial for the return of Syrian refugees currently residing in Lebanon.
Al-Bahra proposed financing these compensations through the cash aid Lebanon receives for hosting refugees. Notably, the European Union recently allocated one billion euros to support refugees and the Lebanese communities accommodating them.
Additionally, Al-Bahra suggested Mikati could leverage his position to secure a UN-backed force of Blue Helmets to ensure the safety of returning refugees, shielding them from potential reprisals by the Assad regime.
Al-Bahra stated that Mikati must not overlook the presence of a militia in Syria affiliated with a Lebanese party that is part of the Lebanese government. He added that this militia exerts control over villages, towns, and entire regions, from which Syrian residents were forcibly displaced or faced threats in past years. Al-Bahra emphasized that this militia has played a role in aiding and abetting the Assad regime in committing mass killings, arrests, and displacements, affecting hundreds of thousands of Syrians, forcing them from their homes.
Al-Bahra reiterated the SOC’s support for the safe and voluntary return of all Syrians from Lebanon to their homeland, emphasizing the importance of ensuring their return is dignified. However, he cautioned against the perilous conditions in Syria, citing ongoing atrocities perpetrated by the Assad regime against its own citizens. He highlighted the persistent scourge of arbitrary arrests, with the Syrian Network for Human Rights’ latest report, issued Thursday, documenting at least 212 cases in April 2024 alone, including 12 children and seven women.
Furthermore, Al-Bahra decried the regime’s relentless violence, which claims the lives of numerous civilians monthly, including innocent women and children, along with the gruesome reality of detainees dying under torture. Citing the Syrian Network for Human Rights’ recent findings, he revealed that 68 civilians lost their lives in Syria last April, among them 13 children, three women, and nine individuals subjected to torture.
Expressing heartfelt appreciation, Al-Bahra thanked the Lebanese people for their compassionate hosting of Syrian refugees, acknowledging their resilience and urging them to empathize with the plight of Syrians. He lamented the international community’s failure to earnestly pursue a comprehensive political solution in Syria, a failure that prolongs the agony of refugees and exacerbates the suffering of Syrians.
Emphasizing the continued danger in Syria for returning refugees, Al-Bahra urged the global community to prioritize a sustainable political resolution, emphasizing the imperative of fully implementing Security Council Resolution 2254.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
