KATHMANDU: Sangita Limbu from Panchthar has not been able to sleep well for the past two weeks. After Iran attacked Israel last week, she says Nepalis like her are spending sleepless nights following the escalation of the Israel-Lebanon conflict.
Limbu, who works as a domestic help in Beirut, wants to return home like other Nepalis. However, she is forced to stay in Lebanon as the government has not facilitated their return. “Foreigners in Lebanon have started returning to their countries. Nepalis don’t have that option. It is not even safe to walk outside in Lebanon now,” she told Himal Press over Facebook Messenger.
Israel has been conducting airstrikes on Lebanon targeting Hezbollah. As a result, many Lebanese citizens and foreigners have begun leaving the country. Nepal, however, has been maintaining that Nepalis in Lebanon are safe. Yamuna Rai from Bhojpur shared on Facebook Messenger that while Nepalis in Lebanon are currently safe, they are living in fear.
Rai said there are rumors of a major attack on Lebanon in the past week. “We do not know what will happen in Lebanon and when. I wish the government would create conditions for us to return soon,” she added. “If Lebanon is attacked, we might die here. It Is not possible to stay in Lebanon.”
Lebanon’s latest advisory warns people living in Lebanon of potential terrorist attacks at any time and place. This has prompted many foreign residents to leave the country. The Lebanese government has advised those, who are not in a position in the country, to prepare for attacks with secure shelters.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, more than 100,000 people have fled Lebanon for Syria due to Israeli airstrikes.
Nepal’s Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security estimates that over 15,000 Nepali workers are currently in Lebanon. Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that Nepalis in Lebanon are safe. According to foreign ministry spokesperson Amrit Kumar Rai, the Nepali embassy in Cairo is monitoring the situation of Nepalis in Lebanon. He said no one has reported any problem so far. “If the conflict escalates, the government will initiate efforts to bring Nepalis back. Discussions are ongoing,” he added.
Ashok Thapa, former president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association in Lebanon, said although the situation in Beirut is normal, Nepalis are anxious. “The government should create a conducive environment for Nepalis who want to return from Lebanon. Nepalis are alarmed as foreign citizens have started leaving Lebanon,” he added.
Countries like the US, Canada, and Japan have been repatriating their citizens for a month. Amid growing conflict and unrest in Lebanon, the Australian government has urged its citizens to leave immediately, warning that Beirut airport might close.
So far, Nepal has not asked its citizens to return. Along with workers employed in different sectors, 850 Nepali peacekeepers are currently deployed in Lebanon under the UN peacekeeping mission.
The Nepali Army’s battalion headquarters is deployed under the UNIFIL mission in Meis el-Jebel, southwestern Lebanon.
