Lebanon: Tensions rising in Nahr al-Bared

The reconstruction of the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian camp is behind scheduleand tensions in the camp are growing, warns a report by the International Crisis Group published Thursday. The current situation is failing to restore a normal life to the camp on various fronts. “Most importantly, lacking an effective representative, Palestinians in Nahr al-Bared feel more disenfranchised than before,” the report says. The report notes a marked tension between camp residents and the authorities because of the tight security measures by the Internal Security Forces and Lebanese Army. “Refugees tend to see the authorities in the least appealing light: not protecting them, but rather protecting the country from them. They fear enforcement of discriminatory laws,” reads the report. The camp, which is near Tripoli, was almost completely destroyed four years ago by fighting between Fatah al-Islam and the Lebanese Army. The five-month campaign to purge the camp of the Islamist group, which was using the area as a military headquarters, left around 400 people dead and nearly 1,000 wounded. Many buildings in the camp were severely damaged during the fighting and most of the 30,000 residents were forced to flee their homes. Current residents complain of a lack of medical care, difficulty of accessing the camp and poor temporary housing. UNRWA has raised $145 million for the reconstruction of the camp, less than half of the $350 million needed to rebuild it. The International Crisis Group report urges the government to lead renewed fundraising efforts, ease the security measures currently in place, and end the tug-of-war between UNRWA and the Army over reconstruction and security priorities. The Palestinians are also suffering from problems related to internal camp authority. “One of the chief consequences of the 2007 crisis and its aftermath has been a significant erosion of Palestinian political influence and clout in the camp,” the report writes. Struggles over power in the camp are rife because the armed Palestinian factions that previously kept the peace were dislodged by the fighting in 2007. The report says the mishandling of the reconstruction effort sets a dangerous precedent for other refugee camps. The “Nahr al-Bared precedent might well increase the factions’ determination to hold on to their weapons,” the report says.