ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq does not plan to set up camps in the country for incoming Lebanese refugees fleeing war in their homeland, an Iraqi migration ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
“Some of our guests are staying with local residents, while others have been accommodated in designated places, such as hotels, government and non-government facilities,” Karim al-Nouri, undersecretary for the Iraqi ministry of migration and displaced, told Rudaw.
“They are guests, not refugees," he emphasized. "It is not appropriate to place guests in camps."
Iraq officially labels Lebanese citizens fleeing the conflict as "guests of Iraq."
Last week, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani approved the allocation of three billion dinars (about $2.27 million) to the migration ministry to assist Lebanese refugees arriving in country.
Nouri said the funds will be used to “provide household supplies, basic necessities, and logistical support, as the Lebanese have arrived in Iraq empty-handed.”
About 8,000 Lebanese citizens have arrived in Iraq since the start of the conflict, according to Nouri, who added that the refugees are being settled in the Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf, and Salahaddin provinces.
Since the start of the conflict, Israeli bombardments have killed 2,255 people and injured 10,524 others in Lebanon, according to data compiled by the Lebanese health ministry. Nearly a quarter of the population, 1.2 million people, have been displaced, Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said earlier this month.
Iraqi aid has also been supplied to Lebanon since the beginning of the war, while Iraqi militia groups launched drone attacks at Israel, raising concerns that Iraq could be dragged into the war - something Iraqi officials say they want to avoid.
“Iraq is making every valuable and courageous effort, led by the prime minister and political leaders, to steer clear of any problems that may arise for the country and to protect its people,” Qassim al-Araji, Iraq's national security advisor, told Rudaw on Saturday.
Malik Mohammed contributed to this report.
