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Picture shows displaced Syrian families who fled from Deir Ezzor and al-Raqqa cities occupied by IS (Photo-EPA)
Picture shows displaced Syrian families who fled from Deir Ezzor and al-Raqqa cities occupied by IS (Photo-EPA)

Syrian refugees near Jordan border without food and medicine

Published on : 2017/10/24
By ANSA Published on : 2017/10/24

Nearly 3000 Syrian refugee families who fled violence in Deir al Zour and Raqqa are living in dire conditions just one kilometer outside the border with Jordan, after the country refused them entry. Displaced Syrians are flocking to the Jordanian borders in the aftermath of bloody fighting against the Islamic State in Deir al Zour and Raqqa, but Jordan is refusing to allow refugees enter its territories, leaving dozens of womens and children in need of urgent aid, activists said today.

Nearly 3000 families from war-torn east Syria have settled in a desert area near al Rukban camp, one kilometer rom the Jordanian border, building mud homes and living on scraps from charity organizations, eyewitnesses told ANSA.The camps are being protected by local militia groups affiliated with Jordan, preventing anyone from approaching the Jordanian borders.'The condition of refugees is dire, they are at risk of disease and malnutrition. They do not have food, blankets, or medication to sustain them,' said a source from al Rakban camp.The recent US-led alliance to flush out IS from the oil-rich eastern desert has led to a high number of casualties among civilians, particularly in Raqqa, former stronghold of IS. But as the fighting continues in other parts of Syria, concerns are rife that more refugees will be heading for Jordan. 


Mud homes and lack of basic infrastructure 

Refugees are currently building homes from mud as they have no access to tents or caravans provided by international organizations to fellow Syrian refugees. Syrian refugees resorted to the area due to the fact that it is protected under the 'de-escalation' zone agreement brokered between Russia and the US earlier this year.Jordan says it is concerned that some of the refugees could be linked to IS and has thus shut its doors to them. The Jordanian government hopes that an end to hostilities near its borders will pave the way for putting an end to the flow of refugees to its territories.Activist Mudar al Assad urged the international community to take action to help the stranded families in the desert, as they face the harsh winter in the inhospitable desert region.'The new camp lacks the basic infrastructure of medical services, water desalination stations. The UN must take responsibility for protecting these people,' he said. 
 

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