Jordan: International Aid Urgently Needed for Syrian Refugees

Jordan 2013 © Enass Abu Khalaf-Tuffaha/MSF Zaatari Camp, close to the Syrian border, where over 100,000 Syria refugees reside.  NEW YORK, MAY 30, 2013—Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Jordan are living under increasingly precarious conditions and Jordanian authorities are unable to provide them with adequate water and health care, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned today. Increased international aid is urgently needed so that Jordan can cope with the rising influx of people and remain a refuge for Syrians fleeing violence in their country. "Without political will and financial commitment from states, the Jordanian government risks resorting to drastic measures: permanently blocking refugee access to the country or restricting access to care in public facilities, which will worsen already precarious living conditions for hundreds of thousands of Syrians," said Antoine Foucher, MSF head of mission in Jordan. "Jordan urgently needs greater international support if they are to sustain a real open-door policy." Of the nearly 500,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, more than 100,000 reside in the Zaatari camp in northern Jordan. The camp population has grown beyond the facility’s capacity and tensions within are mounting. Roughly 1,000 people have been arriving daily over recent months. MSF increased its staff and expanded its act...
Source: MSF News - Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news