Syrian refugees in Lebanon return home - in pictures

Beirut says the repatriations are voluntary

Syrian refugees sit with their belongings on a pickup truck as they prepare to return to Syria from Wadi Hmayyed, on the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Arsal. All photos: Reuters

Hundreds of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon returned home on Wednesday, the first day of repatriations organised by Beirut, amid rights groups' concerns that the scheme may involve elements of coercion.

Lugging suitcases, power generators, fridges and even chickens, about 700 Syrians who had agreed to cross over gathered from early morning in a desolate north-eastern border zone.

Lebanese authorities said the repatriations, under a revived programme run co-ordinated by the country's General Security agency, are voluntary.

The United Nations says flare-ups in violence and the risk of detention make it still unsafe for large-scale returns.

Lebanon is home to more than 800,000 Syrians registered with the UN refugee agency. At its peak, Lebanon hosted around 1.2 million.

They fled the violence in the aftermath of protests against Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in 2011.

In 2018, the General Security agency launched a mechanism through which any Syrian refugee could signal a desire to return home.

That pathway saw about 400,000 Syrians return home but was put on hold with the outbreak of Covid-19.

Outgoing Lebanese President Michel Aoun revived it this month and it resumed on Wednesday.

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