UN: Registered Syrian refugees top 7,000

There are now over 7,000 Syrian refugees registered with the U.N. High Commission for Refugees and the Higher Relief Council in northern Lebanon, according to the latest weekly report from the U.N. body. There are also several thousand unregistered refugees. “There are also concentrations of displaced Syrians residing in other parts of Lebanon,” the report states. “UNHCR’s latest estimates with partners indicate that there are between 3,000-4,500 persons in need in the eastern Lebanon and south of Beirut.” The report, released Friday, states that there are now 7,058 displaced Syrians registered in the north, one third of whom registered with the UNHCR and the Lebanese HRC in the past two months alone. This figure represents 1,366 households, with the majority residing “with host families in difficult circumstances,” according to the report. In terms of health and security, the report states that in the past week in the north, “52 wounded Syrians were admitted to hospitals.” It also states that three wounded individuals died over the last week: one while being transported to hospital in Lebanon and two others while undergoing treatment. “Many individuals and families have been deeply affected by the events that caused them to leave and are reluctant to return home until the situation stabilizes,” the report adds. In an acknowledgement that the situation in Syria is showing no signs of abating, the report also states that the UNHCR has been discussing the “humanitarian needs of Syrian displaced through 2012,” with its partners. Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said Thursday that the refugee influx should not be any cause for concern for Lebanon, due to the two countries’ historic links. Speaking from the Czech capital Prague, Sleiman said that, “We are treating the Syrians who fled as families, as relatives and not as refugees.” The report also notes that the UNHCR is working toward improving the school enrollment rate of refugee children throughout 2012, as currently very few are in full-time education. At primary school level, 53 percent of children aged 6-11 are attending school in north Lebanon, and this figure falls to 9 percent with children who attend secondary school aged 12-17.