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A30 world news
Diasabra 11 December 2021

‘I am dead here’: Lebanese join Mideast migrants to Europe

put into a covered produce truck and non. I have crossed the line of hu-
driven to Qalamoun, just south of miliation,” Hilweh recounted. He
Tripoli. celebrated by hugging his wife and
two daughters, Rana, 3, and Jana, 2.
There, at an abandoned resort, they
boarded the wooden boat with their BACK AND BROKEN
belongings. Around midnight, as they Their relief was short-lived. Shortly
left shore, the smuggler began read- before sunrise, the water-logged en-
ing the names of people on board. gine gave out completely. Stalled in
the darkness and silence, the fright-
There were 92, instead of 70, includ- ened passengers frantically called rel-
ing about two dozen Syrian and Pal- atives in Lebanon to tell the military
estinian refugees. they needed help.

A TERRIFYING RIDE Hours later, the Lebanese navy finally
They quickly ran into trouble. A Leb- arrived and towed the boat back.
anese navy ship approached the boat,
ordering them through loudspeak- “Once the boat stopped, I felt every-
ers to turn back. The captain ignored thing go dark, I felt devastated,” Hil-
their calls and kept moving west. weh said. “When we arrived back I
had tears in my eyes.”
The navy ship circled them, causing
waves that shook the boat and threw Back in Tripoli, the men were sepa-
water inside. The shaking grew more rated from the women and children
(AP) — Ziad Hilweh knew his ple embarked or attempted to embark violent as the ship drew closer, fill- and questioned for hours. The smug-
family might die on the way. But from Lebanon between January and ing it with more water that pushed gler is still in detention, Hilweh said.
the risk was worth it, he said, to November, most heading for Cyprus. it down. The screaming passengers
reach the shores of Europe for a The majority have been Syrians, but spread out around the boat to balance Tripoli is Lebanon’s most impover-
new start with his wife and three Abou Khaled said a notable number it and threw bags into the sea to keep ished city. Its mayor, Riad Yamak, said
kids, away from the daily humili- of Lebanese have joined them. it afloat. that last year, several people drowned
ation of life in Lebanon. off the coast of Tripoli while trying to
“It is evident that these are desperate Hilweh’s wife and children were sit- reach Europe.
The country’s economic meltdown journeys undertaken by people who ting near the engine, and when the
had destroyed him. The currency see no way of survival in Lebanon,” boat flooded with water, thick smoke Last year, a boat taking migrants to
crash meant that the value of his sal- said Abou Khaled. poured out. His 3-month-old son Cyprus ran out of diesel and was
ary from working at a private security Karim stopped breathing and almost stranded for eight days, during which
company fell from $650 a month to The country is witnessing a fright- suffocated, he said. at least six persons died. The U.N.
about $50 after the Lebanese pound ening convergence of multiple cri- peacekeeping forces in Lebanon,
lost more than 90% of its value in less ses, including political instability, the “He lived and died in front of me,” he known as UNIFIL, rescued the rest
than two years. It reached the point coronavirus pandemic and a massive said, recalling the panic before Karim and handed them over to Lebanese
the 22-year-old could no longer af- explosion at the capital’s main port in was breathing again. authorities after giving them first aid.
ford milk and diapers for his children. August last year that have all added to
the financial unravelling of the coun- “I started reciting the shahada,” said “This is suicide when someone takes
But the young father’s hopes of a bet- try. Hilweh’s wife, Alaa Khodor, 22, re- his family by sea,” Yamak said.
ter future were shattered last month, ferring to the profession of faith in
when the boat they were on board ‘I AM DEAD HERE’ Islam that Muslims recite when close Hilweh and his wife disagree. They
headed to Italy broke down in the Hilweh had been growing more des- to death. have already lost their apartment,
Mediterranean Sea, hours after they perate with each day. For months, he their car and Hilweh’s job. They said
set off from the outskirts of Leba- asked relatives and friends to help Eventually, the boat stabilized, and they will keep trying until they make
non’s port city of Tripoli. Along with him financially. Chatting with friends they kept moving west while the navy it to Europe even if this means put-
dozens of other would-be migrants one night, he heard that smugglers chased them. Looking at a screen, the ting their lives and those of their kids
on the boat, they were towed back to were taking people to Europe, and boat’s captain shouted that they had in danger again.
shore by the navy after a terrifying at- that some have already made it there. left Lebanon’s territorial waters. Im-
tempt at escaping. mediately, the navy ship turned back. “I will take any danger to get out of
He and a close friend, Bilal Moussa, here. There is nothing here,” Khodor
For years, Lebanon has been a host for decided to give it a try. Hilweh decid- “I felt very happy. I am out of Leba- said.
refugees, mainly from Syria, but now ed to take his wife and children, while
it is a departure point. Hundreds of Moussa planned to go alone and ap-
Lebanese have tried to reach Europe ply for family reunification once he
this year on boats from their coun- settles in Europe.
try’s shores, spurred by a devastating
economic crisis that has thrown two They were told it would cost $4,000
thirds of the population into poverty for each adult and $2,000 for a child.
since October 2019. Hilweh sold his apartment and his car
and borrowed some from relatives.
It is not a route on the scale of the He was still short, but the smug-
main sea path from Turkey to Greece gler gave him a discount and took
used by many refugees and migrants. the $10,000 Hilweh had, instead of
But it is a startling shift as Lebanese $14,000.
join Iraqis, Afghans, Sudanese and
other Middle Eastern nationalities in “I am dead here and might die on the
leaving their homelands. way. But if I reach the destination, I
can live a decent life,” Moussa said.
Sea departures from Lebanon have
increased starting in 2020, compared The smuggler told them to meet at a
to previous years, said Lisa Abou location near Tripoli’s Abu Ali river
Khaled, spokeswoman for the U.N. shortly before midnight on Friday,
refugee agency. According to UN- Nov. 19, and that 70 people would be
HCR figures, more than 1,570 peo- on the boat. At the location, they were