Oxford students studying in Lebanon have been left unharmed but shaken by a bomb attack in the capital Beirut last Friday, which killed eight people. The Foreign Office temporarily raised the country’s listing to a Red Zone last week, strongly advising against all travel in the region.
The classification was revised over the weekend, and downgraded to an Orange Zone. They now “advise against all but essential travel to the whole of Lebanon.” Oxford University confirmed that seven students from the Faculty of Oriental Studies are currently on their year abroad there.
There has been a recent upsurge in violence in Lebanon over the summer. Friday’s bomb attack was particularly significant as Wissam al-Hassan, the head of a government security agency, was killed. The explosion could reportedly be seen and heard all over the city, while that night the streets were empty and all bars and clubs were closed.
The students were unharmed, and described themselves as being “overcautious.” A University spokesperson said, “The Faculty is in frequent contact with the students and the University is closely monitoring the situation in Lebanon.” Students also received e-mails from the Foreign Office explaining that it wouldn’t be necessary to leave the country, but that they should continue to remain abreast of any developments.
It is as yet unclear whether the University has a contingency plan in place to anticipate any escalation of the situation, in light of last year when students were evacuated from Egypt in the midst of the Arab Spring. Farhaana Arefin, a 2nd year French and Arabic student from Balliol College, is currently living in Beirut on her year abroad.
She and other students are staying in Achrafiye, only a mile away from Sassine square, the site of the explosion. She said, “Sunday was obviously Wissam al Hassan’s funeral, so we were indoors all day. By Monday, the situation on the streets seemed fine. Beirut’s bounced back! Most Lebanese people I’ve spoken to recently have seemed pretty casual; this city has seen far, far worse. I feel safe here again, and, until further notice, definitely plan on spending the rest of the year here.”
She added that this week, students had been more scared “about having to give a ten minute long presentation in Arabic against the sporadic gunfire we could hear around us. For me, life seems to have returned to normal.’
