Eight arrested in Lebanon after Syrian refugee camp set ablaze
- The fire on Saturday night tore through the shelters of some 75 families in the north Lebanon Miniyeh region
- UNHCR said most camp residents have found temporary shelter
Lebanon’s army said on Sunday it had arrested eight people after a dispute led a group of Lebanese nationals to set fire to an informal refugee settlement in the country’s north.
The army said it “arrested two Lebanese nationals and six Syrians over a personal dispute … between a number of Lebanese men and Syrian workers,” according to a statement.
“The Lebanese men fired bullets in the air and torched the tents of Syrian refugees,” it added, without elaborating on the cause of the altercation.
The fire on Saturday night tore through the tented shelters of some 75 families near the town of Bhanine in the north Lebanon Miniyeh region, leaving only a charred wasteland.
The camp’s more than 370 residents were forced to flee, according to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, and at least four people were taken to hospital for injuries.
On Sunday, dozens of refugees returned to the remains of the camp to try to salvage anything that might have survived the blaze.
“I came back to check on belongings inside our small tent only to discover that we no longer own anything,” said Amira Issa, a 45-year-old mother of five who fled Syria eight years ago.