PM Visits Refugee Camps, Jokes About The Electricity

Observing the deplorable conditions refugees in Lebanon contend with, the Icelandic Prime Minister used humour to describe his visit.

Stundin reports that Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson has been busy on social media since he arrived in Lebanon. The purpose of his visit is to personally observe the conditions people in refugee camps have to deal with every day, and to meet with aid workers on the ground.

Making a post on Snapcat about his visit to the Shatila refugee camp, the Prime Minister uploaded a photo of numerous electrical wires strung dangerously between houses. He added the caption, “Have promised to convey that they need an electrician at Shatila”.

As The National points out, refugees regularly die from faulty and exposed wiring in Shatila – amongst other dangers refugees in the country have to contend with.

As reported, the Prime Minister will meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam and various charity groups. He will also inspect the conditions in which these refugees live. The tiny coastal nation currently shelters over 1.1 million refugees, most of them from Syria, comprising about a fourth of the population.

Sigmundur will assess the conditions these refugees contend with, and hear from charity groups working there how best Iceland and other western countries can help.

On Wedensday, the Prime Minister will travel to London for a conference on Syria. Amongst other topics, attendees at the conference will discuss how to provide support for displaced Syrians within the country.

The visit has been in the works for some time now, as the Prime Minister has wanted to see for himself what kinds of conditions refugees in Lebanon live in. The Syrian refugees who recently arrived in Iceland were previously living in refugees camps in Lebanon.