FRONTIER DYNAMICS Akkar is characterized by its contiguous border with Syria, stretching for over 100km through Sahel Akkar and Wadi Khaled. Yet, both regions appear quite distinct from a socio-professional, cultural and economic perspective. • Looking at socio-professional dynamics in both regions, it appears that stateless persons living in Sahel Akkar are mostly farmers and agricultural workers (46%), while the majority of those in Wadi Khaled are daily workers (55%). However, several surveyed stateless, local informants and residents of Wadi Khaled expressed that their main income comes from irregular cross-border activities, to and from Syria, as the border in Wadi Khaled is less easy to monitor than in Sahel Akkar. • Some of Wadi Khaled’s Lebanese parents did not register their children due to their unusual geographic location. In fact, they live in a town in Syria, right on the border, and so their children are not recognized by either country. They explain how they come in and out of Lebanon freely thanks to army patrols tolerating their entry. However, they cannot risk bringing their children to the country because of their lack of identification papers. • Moreover, most of Wadi Khaled’s population has Bedouin roots, which explains why 59% of stateless and 100% of the Lebanese from that particular area chose the “tribe” as a key determinant of their sense of identity. In Sahel Akkar, only 31% of the stateless made this selection in terms of self-identity. “ If it weren’t for irregular cross-border economic activities, I would have “sold” my children. - Stateless man, Wadi Khaled, March 19 Fig 10. What is your line of work? 40% Daily Worker Farmer Driver Business owner Other 25% 6% 5% 55% 46% 12% 9% 3% Sahel Akkar Wadi Khaled © 2021 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.