Syrians, like other refugees in Egypt, face a host of barriers to residency and work permits. Pushed into the informal sector, they face exploitation and abuse. Their plight points to the darker side of Egypt for millions of foreigners.
Egypt is home to 1.5 million Syrians, thousands of whom have opened successful businesses in the country. Many consider Egypt a safe haven compared to other states in the region, where anti-refugee sentiments are on the rise. However, amid a worsening economic crisis, this golden age may be nearing its end.
Motorcycles and scooters are a lifeline for many Syrians in Lebanon, but most cannot legally register them. As police crack down, they face fines, extortion and—as seen in the recent killing of a young man at a checkpoint in Beirut—violence.
As Lebanon presses forward with mass deportations of Syrian refugees, those openly involved in opposition activities against the Assad regime face a growing danger.
Syrian refugees fleeing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon grapple with new challenges and a lack of support, while displacement and bombardment stirs painful memories of war in Syria.
Syrian refugees swiftly deported from Turkey to northern Syria not only face security risks, but struggle to settle their affairs—sell cars, shutter businesses, close bank accounts—from outside the country.
Intolerable conditions in Lebanon are pushing increasing numbers of Syrians to take to the sea. With all eyes on escalating violence in southern Lebanon, the number of Syrians leaving from the north over the past two months reached more than four times the number for the same period in 2022.
For Syrians and Syrian-Palestinians, crackdowns on expressions of solidarity with Palestine have exposed a “double standard” in European democracies and reopened old wounds. As the political climate hardens, they fear their full participation in European society is increasingly at risk.
Syrian children are among the hardest hit as Lebanon’s public education system falters under the weight of economic crisis and dwindling funding.
Starting in August, 120,000 Syrians living in Jordan’s refugee camps will lose one third of their World Food Program assistance, the latest in a series of aid cuts amid an “unprecedented funding crisis.”
