Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition – Syria
Department of Media and Communications
December 27, 2020
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) is closely following the conditions of Syrian refugees after the burning of a refugee camp outside the town of Minya, north Lebanon on Saturday night. We are communicating with the relevant authorities and institutions to assess the situation and ensure that the basic needs of those affected are secured and their tents rebuilt.
We stress that the Lebanese authorities bear direct responsibility for the incident in view of its longtime inability to protect refugees or confront the incitement of hatred against them. The Lebanese authorities are required to hold those responsible for this crime to account as essential to putting an end to this type of crime.
We thank the bodies, individuals, local and international institutions that rushed to provide a helping hand. We also thank the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center which announced it would meet the needs of those affected by the arson.
We also reaffirm the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities with regard to ensuring safety and a decent life for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
It is also imperative that the international community take urgent action towards the situation in Syria, including setting up an integrated framework for a political solution as a prerequisite for the voluntary return of refugees. Indeed, millions of Syrian refugees would rather live in tragic conditions and endure the various types of misery than return to their homes with the murderous regime still in power.
