Nahr al-Bared refugee camp
An-Nahr al-Bared
النهر البارد | |
---|---|
Country | Lebanon |
Population | |
• Total | approx. 30,000 |
Nahr al-Bared (
The camp was established in December 1949 by the League of Red Cross Societies in order to accommodate the Palestinian refugees suffering from the difficult winter conditions in the
Layout of the camp
Nahr al-Bared is located directly on the Mediterranean. It is made up of the "official" or "old" camp and the "unofficial" or "new" camp. The "old" camp is roughly 0.2 km² and is under the responsibility of UNRWA. The "new" camp extends mainly to the north of the old camp, but also to lesser degrees to the east and south. It is less densely populated and many wealthier families have built their homes there in recent years.
The camp is oblong shaped with the main road running straight through it (South to North), and the Souq running east to west. The different sectors of the camp are named after areas of what is now the northern Galilee region : Safourieh, Sasa, Safad, etc. Other sectors are more commonly known by the origins of the families living there: e.g. the "Maghrebi" area where families originally from Maghreb.
First fifty years
On 6 May 1979 an Israeli Air Force air strike killed four people and wounded twenty-five. An Israeli statement claimed the target was a PFLP stronghold. Radio Lebanon reported that the building hit was a farmer’s house.[1]
2007 conflict
Late in the night of Saturday May 19, 2007, a building was surrounded by Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) in which a group of Fatah al-Islam militants accused of taking part in a bank robbery earlier that day were hiding. The ISF attacked the building early on Sunday May 20, 2007, unleashing a day-long battle between the ISF and Fatah al-Islam militants on 200 Street, Tripoli. As a response, members of Fatah al-Islam in Nahr al-Bared Camp (16 km from Tripoli) attacked an army checkpoint, killing several soldiers in their sleep. The army immediately responded by shelling the camp.
The camp became the centre of the fighting between the
The conflict between the
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, charged with the care of the Palestinians, struggled to contain the unprecedented humanitarian crisis. In the meantime, most of the displaced refugees waited in improvised shelters in Beddawi camp and elsewhere for a sustainable solution to arrive.[3]
Nahr al-Bared was also home to the largest market in northern Lebanon; many Lebanese relied on the tax-free goods and black market prices to keep the cost of living down in a country with current inflation at 5.6%. The demise of Nahr al-Bared was a devastating blow to the local economy.[4] The failure of the international community, and Arab states in particular, to fund an emergency humanitarian appeal for Nahr al-Bared means life for refugees living there is set to get harder.[5]
See also
References
- ^ Middle East International No 99, 11 May 1979; pp.12-14
- ^ "Lebanon army takes control of camp after battle". Reuters. September 2007. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
- ^ http://www.pulitzercenter.org/openitem.cfm?id=814
- ^ ""Lebanese struggle with broken economy," by Don Duncan. San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2008". June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-06-21. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ "Life set to get harder for Nahr al-Bared refugees". The New Humanitarian. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
External links
Media related to Nahr al-Bared at Wikimedia Commons