South Lebanon villagers desperate for housing before winter

FRUN, Lebanon (AFP) - Rasmiyeh Moukdad has enough tuna, chick peas and other canned foods, even blankets, to last her through the winter, but what she really wants is a roof over her head.

Like thousands of villagers in southern Lebanon who endured fierce shelling during the month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah, Moukdad is desperate for a glimmer of hope ahead of the fast-approaching winter months.

Her home in the mountain village of Frun about 75 kilometers (47 miles) southeast of Beirut is but a shell today, with barely a wall left standing and mounds of rubble, twisted steel and personal belongings strewn about.

Missiles have punched huge holes in the walls, and the windows and doors are blown out. She and her ailing parents, both in their 80s, spend their days in the only room spared from the shelling.

There is no running water or electricity.

The same picture of desolate destruction is repeated through the tiny village where 95 of the 160 homes have been destroyed and the rest have been burned out or heavily damaged by the shelling.

Of the 2,000 residents, most of them farmers, the few that have returned spend their days in this apocalyptic landscape waiting for someone to show up and tell them when they can start piecing their lives together again.

Most spend their nights with friends or family in nearby villages less damaged by the war.

Others eat their dinners by candlelight and sleep in what remains of their homes or in tents donated by aid organizations.

"The sardines and the tuna are welcome but what we really need with the bitter winter coming up are prefabricated homes," lamented Mohammed Hamdoun, a farmer whose home was destroyed.

"People have been waiting for help for nearly a month and they are going to become like time-bombs if something concrete doesn't happen soon."

The same complaint is heard in other war-devastated villages in the region.

Adding to the despair is the fact that the tobacco, olive and vegetable fields that are the source of villagers' income are littered with unexploded cluster bombs and mines left behind by Israel.

"Agriculture is our livelihood and we can't even work the fields any more because we risk being blown up," complained Abu Qasim, 37, a resident of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, where 70 percent of the 300 homes were destroyed or damaged by the war.

Qasim, whose home did not suffer heavy damage, said he has defused some 2,500 bomblets found in the village and surrounding fields since the war ended August 14 and displays wounds on his right leg and left thigh to prove it.

Many homes and surrounding areas are sealed off with red tape indicating the danger that lurks within.

Though there is little life in these remote villages and no clear sign of reconstruction, teams from regional municipalities can be seen walking about assessing the damage and spraying the front of each home or a stone with red lettering or a number identifying the owner.

UN and Red Cross workers also visit to provide water and medical assistance.

But that is of little comfort to residents whose patience is running thin with each passing day.

"I don't want any more handouts or medicines, I just want someone to start rebuilding my home," cried Saada Mohammed Dirani, 52, who is living with her 83-year-old mother in a tent donated by a British Rotary club and pitched against the only wall left standing in her house.

Though she has received financial aid from Hezbollah to rent a home, she refuses to leave the village that has been her life-long home.

"Where do you want me to go with my mother?" she asks. "There is no available housing nearby and I can't just leave my house and my onion fields."

Many of those interviewed said that although the flags of Hezbollah or fellow Shiite party Amal still flutter above the remains of their homes, that does not reflect any active participation on their part with either party.

"Hezbollah has given me nothing but grief," said one elderly man. "I've lost everything I own and my dignity because of this war."

Another man echoed his feeling, saying: "May God rid us of the Jews and the enemies of the Jews."

Source

About headlines and content that has changed after it was added to this site - see disclaimer here

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.