NABATIEH: The recent scenes of Lebanese arriving at Beirut International Airport from the conflict-ridden Ivory Coast have been primarily about short-term relief.

But as the returnees have begun registering children in local schools in Lebanon, it’s obvious that the expatriates will be settling in to a longer period of wait-and-see before they decide to head back to West Africa.

Leaders of the Lebanese community in Ivory Coast indicate that Lebanese are keen to distance themselves from the tension in the African country, ravaged by a post-election standoff between President Laurent Gbagbo and rival Alassane Ouattara. The violence has so far claimed the lives of more than 200 people.

Community figures emphasize that Lebanese have no part in the struggle, which they say is completely related to domestic politics, and are awaiting a solution between the two sides.

Ibrahim Faqih, the secretary general of the African Continental Council, which represents Lebanese expats in a number of African countries, described the return of families from Ivory Coast as being part of a strategy of Lebanese remaining “distant from the anxiety and tension, until things become clearer, and a political settlement is reached.”

“We hope there won’t be a military solution, as this will have a negative impact on Lebanese there; they have their economic and commercial and business interests [to worry about],” said Faqih, who is from the village of Kfar Tibnit, Nabatieh.

Faqih estimated that some 80,000 people make up the Lebanese community in Ivory Coast. There are currently no official figures about the number of people who have returned from the country following the recent violence.

The majority of Lebanese in the country are Shiites and have traditionally come from rural areas of Bint Jbeil and Tyre, although many of the recent wave of returnees are from the Nabatieh area.

“In the past this figure stood at about 100,000 people, but a succession of events in Ivory Coast and some other African countries have brought the number down,” Faqih said.

“There are still more than 30,000 Lebanese in the Ivory Coast who have no homes in Lebanon, and are considered to be quite poor, working just to get by on a daily basis. If there are any [further] security repercussions, God forbid, they won’t be able to leave the country, unless the Lebanese authorities intervene,” he added.

Faqih said he has contacted the head of the council, Najib Zahr, currently in Ivory Coast, to check on Lebanese who remain there.

Zahr said that the country was suffering from total economic paralysis, as people are unable to go to work.

“This is why a number of Lebanese have decided to escape from the tension for a period of time,” Zahr said by telephone. “Most of them have gone to other cities in Africa, and we are always advising them to not move too far away from their establishments and interests, and remain in the country until the picture becomes clear.”

Zahr said a follow-up committee had been formed to contact the relevant authorities in Ivory Coast, and “we have stressed to all sides that the Lebanese are not a party to the conflict.”

The committee has also conducted a survey of the Lebanese community and their places of residence, to anticipate any coming emergency.

Zahr said the Lebanese authorities have yet to deal with the events in the Ivory Coast “as a case of a Lebanese expatriate community experiencing a crisis in Africa – instead it’s a distinct community being left to fend for itself.”

“We’ve prepared ourselves here for any eventuality, but … the Lebanese authorities haven’t even troubled themselves to contact the political authorities here to declare that our community is neutral vis-à-vis the current crisis.”

Most of the Lebanese who have returned to villages in the Nabatieh area prefer to stay away from the media, as they monitor events back in Africa.

Ahmad Nasser, the head of the World Cultural League, the official Lebanese expatriate organization, called the situation in Ivory Coast calm, but full of fear and tension after the experience of past incidents in African countries such as Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

With Lebanese having established diaspora communities across west Africa over several decades, they have become “one of the African tribes,” Nasser said – one that has contributed to regional prosperity, but that lacks a domestic government able to get its nationals out in an emergency situation.

“We are in constant contact with the Lebanese community, the Lebanese ambassador and Lebanon’s foreign minister,” he said.

“I don’t want to spread fear, but we should anticipate the worst … no one has been injured, but if things get out of hand, looting and theft will take place,” he said.

Sawsan Zein, who last week returned to her home village of Abbasieh in Tyre from Ivory Coast, has found herself uprooted and has registered her children at elementary and high schools.

Her husband stayed behind to mind the family business in Abidjan, where has spent the last 42 years.

“The situation is tense, but we have to go back there, where our livelihoods are. I’ve registered my children in school here in Lebanon, but as soon calm prevails, we’ll return to Abidjan,” she said.