Lebanese villagers set Syrian refugee tents alight

Residents of a village in eastern Lebanon have forced hundreds of Syrian refugees
from an informal campsite, torching tents after accusing them of raping a mentally-disabled man.


But a doctor who examined the man said there was no evidence he was attacked, and one villager said the alleged rape was a pretext to drive the refugees from the site.

The incident comes amid warnings from the Lebanese government and aid agencies about tensions between Lebanese communities and the more than 800,000 Syrian refugees who have fled to the small country.

The informal camp in the eastern Bekaa village of Qsar Naba housed some 400 refugees in about 100 tents and shelters.

Many of the refugees dismantled their shelters after the attack and spent Sunday nightsleeping in the open.

The refugees said the residents returned on Monday, setting fire to at least 15 tents and knocking down others.

“There’s not a single tent left for us,” said Ahmed Abdul Mahmud, a 33-year-old refugee, weeping. – AFP