"Thousands of Syrian families are being pushed towards the Jordan border as a result of the ongoing government offensive,” said NRC's acting Regional Director Youri Saadallah. "Jordan has done so much over the years to accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria, but unfortunately the international community must rely on it to be generous once more.
“Jordan cannot be expected to take on the responsibility of accepting more refugees alone, however, and we call on the international community to urgently step up and provide significant additional support.” Saadallah continued. “The fighting in Syria is squeezing people further and further south. They will eventually be left with nowhere else to turn.”
NRC together with other aid agencies is ready to assist new arrivals in Jordan. Azraq Camp could be developed further to host another 80,000 new Syrian refugees.
Aid workers in Daraa and surrounding areas report that places where displaced families are heading are experiencing serious shortages of bread and fuel, with the price of the latter already twice as much that of a few weeks ago. Public buildings are already overcrowded, forcing many people to sleep in the open, while rent prices have almost doubled.
"We call on all to ensure the safety of civilians in southern Syria by stopping any attacks on densely populated areas and allowing safe passage out of the conflict area," Saadallah said.
