Lebanon's PM apologizes to al-Sudani for the mistreatment of Iraqi students

Shafaq News/ Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Saturday received an apology from his Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati for what was described as "mistreatment" of Iraqi students studying in Lebanon.

According to a statement from al-Sudani's office, Mikati called to express his lament for the mistreatment endured by Iraqi studying in Lebanon and apologized on behalf of his government. He also promised to remove any obstacles that may impede their studies and facilitate their requirements.

Al-Sudani, in turn, expressed his confidence in the efforts made by the Lebanese government to meet the needs of Iraqi students in Lebanon and thanked Mikati for his attention and follow-up.

A video published on social media showed a Lebanese man in uniform threatening the Iraqi students with what seemed to be a stanchion as he shouted at them, telling them to "move back."

Another man could then be seen coming out of an office yelling and even shoving some of them.

The video has prompted very angry reactions from both Iraqis and Lebanese online, complaining of the policeman's behavior and mistreatment of the Iraqi nationals, particularly at a government department.

Some social media users said it reflected the downfall of the Lebanese state on all levels, amid the unprecedented financial and economic crisis that started in 2019, and the grave repercussions it has had on the public sector.

Lebanese authorities responded by saying situations like this take place due to a lack of staff and organization.

It stressed that these issues are being resolved.

Baghdad has reportedly sent a delegation to Lebanon to oversee complaints and other alleged violations, according to Iraqi media on Thursday.

Lebanon's caretaker Education Minister Abbas al-Halabi blamed the huge crowd, who he said blocked the entrance as soon the ministry's doors opened at 8 am, adding that one employee who had asthma fainted and fell to the ground and had to be hospitalized.

Halabi – currently mired in issues ranging from the ongoing teacher strike to corruption scandals at his ministry – thanked the Iraqi students, who he said coordinated with Lebanese security forces and ministry employees and respected the procedures.

He added that ministry employees were only currently working Wednesdays and Thursdays due to a months-long public sector strike and had to deal with a huge volume of paperwork with limited time and resources.

Thousands of Iraqis graduate from Lebanese universities and visit the country every year for leisure. Despite its crisis, Beirut continues to boast some of the most prestigious schools in the region.

But the international students have lately complained of finding it difficult to finalize paperwork due to the public sector strike, among other hurdles.

In late 2021, a scandal emerged that thousands of Iraqi students were buying their degrees from three private and smaller universities in Lebanon, which prompted the Iraqi Education Ministry to cut off ties with them.