Aley Enforces Curfew on Syrian Refugees

The Daily Star reports that, due to the nearly 5,000 Syrian refugee families flooding the streets and the surrounding area, Aley has imposed an unofficial night watch and curfew in order to deal with an alarming increase in neighborhood theft.

The night watch, composed of pistol-wielding men aged 20 to 35, drive around in cars after hours, and question Syrian refugees about there whereabouts. One man even alleged that some teenagers go so far as to beat the refugees.

Rawad Shemsedeen, council member of Benih municipality in Aley, affirmed that a curfew had indeed been instated from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., saying that it applied “mostly to Syrians.”

This is the second Lebanese town this year to impose a curfew on Syrian refugees, after Mount Lebanon Municipality created a curfew preventing “foreigners” from being out between 8:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.