Thousands
of Syrian refugees are cut off from humanitarian assistance after border
attack, aid workers say.
Since
Jordan declared its borders with southern Syria a closed military zone, tens of
thousands of Syrian refugees are left with no access to water, food or medical
care [Getty Images]
Amman
- Tens of thousands of Syrians refugees,
trapped at the border with Jordan, are left without water, food or medical care
as humanitarian agencies have been denied access to the border area, aid
workers say.
"Around
60,000 people are currently without food, water or healthcare. They have
nothing," said Hala Shamlawi, spokesperson at the International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The
border closure came as a response to a cross-border attack that killed six
guards and injured 14. The attack took place near the informal settlement at
Ruqban on the northeast Jordanian border with Syria. The area, located behind a
raised sand barrier or "berm" that marks the border, was declared a
closed military zone immediately after the attack.
The
northern border is Syrians' only route into Jordan.
On
Thursday, Amnesty International said Jordan's response to the deadly car bomb
attack on its border should not entail "closing the border and denying
humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing armed
conflict".
Mohammed al-Momeni, the Jordanian government’s spokesperson, said
his country would not establish any new Syrian refugee camps, and would not
expand existing ones.
For
the past year, the settlement at Ruqban has been growing exponentially as
fleeing Syrians, desperate for an opportunity to be among the few hundred that
have been allowed into the country daily, mass at Jordan's strictly controlled
border.
As
they wait, the population has set up an ad-hoc camp. According to many
refugees, the camp is "a squalid, dangerous place where access to
sanitation, water, food, shelter and healthcare is extremely limited".
Those
who managed to escape the berm, and settled at Azraq refugee camp, say the
place is ruled by gangs and criminals who exploit the desperation of vulnerable
people.
"The
situation at the border is really tough," said one refugee who recently
left the border for Azraq camp, and preferred to remain anonymous. Many
refugees report living in fear of violence, riots and exploitation, which
frequently denied them access to aid.
Jordan
does not recognise the settlement to be within its territory - though this
interpretation has been disputed by Human Rights Watch, which said the
settlements were in "desert areas just inside Jordan’s border with
Syria".
A
day before the bombing, refugees were forced to cross over the berm to access
aid, before returning to their tents on the other side.
"There's
nothing there, it's a desert area, devoid of all water and basic
services," said Shamlawi. "People there have been dependent on humanitarian
service since they got to the berm."
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