On September 24, 2024, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, issued three directives to facilitate the entry and residency of Lebanese refugees fleeing into Iraq because of the war on the Hezbollah militant organization in Lebanon.
The three directives provide for —
- extending the entry visa for Lebanese citizens present in Iraq for 30 days with the possibility of renewal for an additional 30 days;
- exempting Lebanese citizens from penalties imposed under Law No. 76 of 2017 on the Residency of Foreigners, which governs visa requirements; and
- exempting Lebanese citizens coming to Iraq as refugees from having to pay entry visa fees at border crossings or airports.
The Iraqi Prime Minister has also directed the Iraqi Ministry of Interior to grant travel documents to Lebanese refugees who do not have passports and wish to enter Iraq. Similarly, to facilitate the residency of Lebanese refugees in Iraq, the Iraqi Minister of Education has directed Iraqi academic institutions to allow Lebanese refugees to enroll as students.
The Undersecretary of the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement, Karim Al-Nouri, stated that Lebanese refugees arriving in Iraq are to be registered upon their entry into the country and then registered again in the local offices of the ministry throughout the country so they can receive assistance.
Numbers of Lebanese Refugees
On October 10, 2024, the head of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, Yassin Al-Maamouri, announced that the number of refugees from southern Lebanon to Iraq has exceeded 8,000. He noted that refugees from Lebanon were distributed in several Iraqi provinces, including Baghdad, Karbala, Mosul, Najaf, and Salahuddin, where they were provided with housing, and medical services.
Suggestion to Hire Lebanese Refugees in Government Jobs
The acting head of the Najaf Provincial Council, Ghaith Al-Kalabi, requested that the federal government issue a decision to permit the hiring of Lebanese refugees in government at the local and federal levels. However, the Federal Public Service Council (an institution concerned with regulating employment affairs) rejected Al-Kalabi ‘s request. Al-Kalabi reportedly has submitted a proposed draft law to the House of Representatives that would allow qualified Lebanese refugees to be hired in Iraqi ministries on a contract basis.
Political Controversy
Some political parties in Iraq reportedly have voiced concerns about the suggestion to employ Lebanese refugees in government positions. They have argued that the proposals ignored the fact that huge numbers of young Iraqis, including university graduates, suffer from unemployment, and are demanding the government to find them jobs. The same parties have claimed that the call to employ the Lebanese refugees implies an intention to settle them in Iraq permanently.
According to an article in the online newspaper Media Line, assistance and benefits granted by the Iraqi government and non-governmental organizations is mainly focused on Shi’is refugees and the families of Hezbollah fighters, while refugees from other sects are receiving “little to no assistance.” Khalil al-Qaed, a Sunni Iraqi politician, was quoted claiming that Lebanese Christian, Druze, and Sunni refugees haven’t received the same services as the Lebanese Shi’i refugees.
However, Ali al-Husseini, a media official at the Imam Hussein Shrine, a religious charity organization, declared that his organization does not discriminate between Sunnis, Shiites, or Christians, stating that “[e]veryone is welcome to benefit from the services we provide to Lebanese refugees.”
George Sadek, Law Library of Congress
November 6, 2024
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