UN urges swift aid to border refugees, lauds Jordan’s ‘exemplary efforts’

AMMAN — Despite limited resources, Jordan has been continuously enforcing "exemplary efforts" for the protection of the Syrians who have left their homes, the UN has said, urging stakeholders to provide further assistance to save refugees “trapped” at the border.

In a statement released Monday, UN agencies in Jordan voiced   concern over “the safety and security of thousands of Syrians near Jordan's northeastern border”, expressing readiness “to immediately provide protection and additional life-saving assistance as needed", and continued support for the Jordanian authorities' efforts.

An estimated number of 4,000 Syrians at Hadalat and 45,000 Syrians at Rukban — mainly women and children — remain stranded at Syria’s southern border with Jordan, the statement said. 

Due to air strikes that have been reported to be in the area over the last couple of days, distress and fear have been heightened amongst the population with the risk of escalated hostilities.

No casualties or injuries have been reported, yet the area has been described to be “increasingly unsafe”, the international organisation said, adding that the scarcity of services available in the area in terms of food and healthcare has placed women and children in a situation that has been going from bad to worse.

“The supply route to the berm area for food and other basic commodities from inside Syria has become increasingly constrained in recent weeks,” according to the statement. 

Leaving the area risks danger and deprivation in an “inhospitable desert location”, making many Syrians “unsure of where to go in search of safety”.

Aiming to prevent “further harm to the frightened and highly vulnerable individuals stranded at the border”, UN agencies in Jordan are advocating a resolution to their plight and calling on parties to step forward and shoulder their respective shares of responsibility, according the statement.