image: popular art in nahr al-bared camp

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a few days ago, two displaced residents of the destroyed nahr al-bared refugee camp in north lebanon expressed their perception of the reconstruction process on a local wall...

report: "undocumented migrants run their own school"

switzerland is a tough place for asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants. in zurich, they have been running a remarkable campaign for the past year, challenging the canton's asylum policy. now, they have opened their own school. (...) [read more]

report: "nahr al-bared reconstruction delays protested"

since the end of august, construction equipment in the palestinian refugee camp of nahr al-bared, near the northern lebanese city of tripoli, has stood unused after the lebanese state council granted a two month moratorium for the reconstruction of the camp. nahr al-bared, home to approximately 30,000 refugees, was destroyed during a three-month-long battle between the lebanese army and the militant group fatah al-islam in the summer of 2007. (...) [read more]

report: "nahr al-bared's reconstruction in limbo"

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since the end of august, construction machines in the palestinian refugee camp nahr al-bared are resting. the lebanese state council granted a two month moratorium for the reconstruction of the destroyed camp. (...) [read more]

report: "shattered camp revives under military eyes"

palestinian refugees at nahr al-bared in north lebanon are living under tight military siege two years after a war destroyed the refugee camp. it has now become a test case for a new approach in lebanon's security policy towards palestinian refugee camps. (...) [read more]

video: "two years under siege"

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two years after the outbreak of the war in nahr al-bared, the camp's fate remains unclear. the reconstruction of the official camp might start soon, but the army keeps its tight grip on the camp. several checkpoints, barbed wire and military posts cut nahr al-bared off from its surroundings.

nahr al-bared camp used to be a thriving marketplace in the northern lebanese region of akkar and about half its costumers were lebanese. during the war, the lebanese army has not only defeated the militant group fatah al-islam, but also completely destroyed the refugee camp. its businesses were looted, smashed and burnt, even after the war had ended. the camp's once flourishing economy was physically eliminated.

two years later, about half the camp's population has returned to its adjacent area. hundreds of businesses have re-opened, but economic recovery is seriously hampered by the tight siege imposed by the lebanese army. thus, suspicions have risen that the war's actual target wasn't fatah al-islam, but nahr al-bared's economic life.

in this 10-minute film, the co-owner of an ice cream factory, the president of the local trader's committee and the imam of the al-quds mosque speak out on the siege and its economic consequences.

the film can be downloaded here (.mpeg/316mb) and here (.mov/124mb) in good quality. it can be watched here on youtube or below.

report: "the forgotten prime areas"

[de] [fr]
the three-month-long war between the lebanese army and fatah al-islam militants in the palestinian refugee camp of nahr al-bared in northern lebanon ended on 2 september 2007. while the lebanese army has allowed displaced residents to return to some parts of the camp, the fate of other parts of the camp still under the army's control remains unclear. (...) [read more]