Due to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, people continue to flee to Syria. More than 20,000 refugees have been taken in by the autonomous region of North and East Syria. The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) has set up a crisis team to enable refugees to enter the country without problems and to ensure basic services. Many of those affected come from the region. According to DAANES information on Friday, only 86 of the 20,128 people registered upon entering the country are Lebanese citizens. The supply situation is precarious, and the region is under attack from Turkey. ANF spoke to some of the refugees in Raqqa.

Ehmed Ebdil Dêrî stated that they had to leave the region due to the clashes, describing their experiences as follows: “The attacks started in the south of Lebanon, but over time the whole country was affected. The factory where I worked was bombed. I have daughters, and we had to leave to keep them safe. We started our escape on the second day of the attacks, and it was very difficult. We initially had to take the route over the mountains and couldn't take anything with us. We had to leave all our belongings behind. After we crossed the border and were brought to Raqqa, we received a lot of help. We were taken to the commune. There, our names were registered and we were provided for. At the moment, we are staying in a facility of the Office of the Local Council for Social Services. The local council has been very supportive, but we also need help from international organisations. One of my daughters has a disability, my wife is ill, and I am also ill. Therefore, we should at least receive support in this regard. There are a great many refugees here and it is hardly possible to provide everyone with adequate care. There were three and a half million registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Everyone needs help now, so international institutions have to take responsibility.”

Musenna, who is a refugee, expressed a similar sentiment: “I was at home when the attacks began. The building we were in was hit during the very first attack. Because the large water tank on top of the building was hit, we did not suffer much damage. After that, we fled. It was very difficult until we got out of Lebanon. After we reached Raqqa, everything improved. We were very well received, and the communes take care of all our needs. However, there are many refugees and international humanitarian organisations must also help them.”

Huseyîn Eli Huseyîn stated: “When the war started, everyone fled. Of course, there were also many people who could not escape and lost their lives. We first went to Bukaa and, from there, across the border to Syria. When we arrived in Syria, we asked three foreign aid organisations for support, but so far we have not received any help from them. The international institutions are not taking responsibility. We slept in the open and asked people for blankets and food. Later we came to Raqqa. Now we are better off, the autonomous administration has covered our basic needs.”