Beirut, July 31

The UN Higher Council for Refugees (UNHCR) has said its offices in Lebanon completed the registration of more than 50,000 Syrian refugees in July, bringing the total number of those receiving aid to over 645,000.

More than 541,000 Syrian refugees have been registered in Lebanon, while over 104,000 are still waiting for the registration process to be completed, reported Xinhua citing the UN refugee agency Tuesday.

It said 185,000 Syrian refugees were registered in northern Lebanon, or 35 per cent of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon; 184,000 in eastern Bekaa region, representing 34 per cent; 101,000 in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, representing 18 per cent; and 68,000 in southern Lebanon, representing 13 per cent.

Lebanon has frequently called on the UN Security Council and international donors to help shoulder the burden of hosting Syrian refugees, the number of which is expected to cross the threshold of one million by the year-end.

Officials have warned of the security consequences of the influx, and a shortfall in funding to assist both refugees and the people hosting them.

UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a report last month that refugees in Lebanon surpassed 25 per cent of its own population and were inflicting a huge burden on the state and people of Lebanon.

By: IANS