Lebanese Social Affairs Minister: 40% of displaced people have returned home

Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayyed announced that around 400,000 displaced people, or approximately 40% of those displaced by the war, have returned to their home areas.

Sayyed said the number of displaced people staying in collective shelters has fallen to 13,000 from 37,000, meaning that 63% have left the shelters.

She noted that some shelters will remain open to accommodate people who are still unable to return to their homes.

The minister added that the number of shelters nationwide has decreased from 692 at the peak of the displacement crisis to 479 currently, with 213 shelters closed. In Beirut, the number of shelters has dropped from 150 to 100.

Sayyed said the number of shelters has declined across all governorates except Nabatieh, where additional shelters have been opened to accommodate displaced residents who wish to remain close to their villages.

She also stressed that the government will continue its emergency cash assistance program and distribute in-kind aid to displaced families living outside collective shelters.