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Syrian refugees stuck on Jordan border 'have nothing'



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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