Sudanese protestors block off UNHCR main Lebanon office

Members of the Sudanese community in Beirut have been blocking the entrance to the Jnah office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) since Wednesday morning, a UNHCR press release said on Thursday. About 20 of the protestors are considered refugees by the UNHCR; their cases have been submitted to third countries willing to consider resettling them. The press release added that some refugees are awaiting resettlement decisions by countries and are asking that these decisions be expedited. However, still others have been rejected by resettlement countries and want their files to be reviewed. The UNHCR said that its specialized staff has met, either individually or in groups, with the Sudanese protestors in an effort to ease tensions. The organization noted that the sit-in has “unfortunately started to impede regular assistance to both those protesting and other persons.” Even though the UNHCR maintains that the recent escalation of the protest constitutes a serious safety concern, it emphasized that it will continue to “assist, protect, and identify durable solutions [for] refugees.” Daily Star