Dateline ACT

Lebanon 03/06

Estimate of people fleeing conflict is upped

By Dominic Nutt, ACT International

Beirut, August 3, 2006—The United Nations yesterday upped its estimate for the number of internally displaced people who have fled the fighting in Lebanon.

It believes almost 900,000 people have been forced to leave their homes so far. Some have made it to safety in Syria and Cyprus and can probably count themselves lucky to be far away from the conflict.

As many as 550,000 have made it to cities such as Beirut and are sleeping on people's floors, in basements and schools.

The Middle East Council of Churches, which is a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, is trying to help many of these people, providing food.

There is a widespread fear that fuel is running out - prices at the pumps are rising and queues are lengthening.

This is having two effects on the humanitarian crisis. It means those who are still stuck in the south and are risking escape along the highways - which themselves are targets of Israeli bombing – may find it harder to afford to buy fuel.

It also means that UN vehicles, should they be granted access to the south – and there are no guarantees they will be – will find their budgets squeezed.