Al-Rukban camp suffering | Heavy rains inundates camp and damage many tents and mud houses
Winter and heavy rains negatively affect the displaced people living in limbo in Al-Rukban camp in the 55-kilometre de-confliction zone on the Syrian-Jordanian-Iraqi border.
SOHR activists have reported that the heavy rains have turned Al-Rukban camp into pools of water and lakes, engulfing mud houses and destroying many tents coinciding with the wind storms.
The collapse of the ceilings of some houses and the damage to furniture after being flooded have deepened the displaced people’s suffering as they stand helpless, unable to do anything to avoid damage. The displaced people are also afraid that further houses would collapse or be completely destroyed, in the event of continued heavy rainfall, due to the fragility of the construction of houses.
Speaking to SOHR a displaced man known by his initials as (A. M.) says that the tents are very worn out. The rain has soaked the tents through the cracks of the tents, and we cannot buy a heater. The price of the heater has become so high hitting 175,000 SYP, while the blankets have become old and ballet, as many years have passed since we were displaced in 2019.
Winter comes amid the lack of safety measures in the event of a collapse of tents and buildings on the displaced persons, as there are no teams to rescue children and women in the event of torrential torrents. The camp also suffers from a severe shortage of medical points to serve the camp in the event of any emergency illnesses.
A Displaced woman known by her initials as (A. H) complains that she cannot secure money to buy winter clothes for her children, while the tent that houses her family is no longer habitable in summer and winter, especially with heavy rain, dire living conditions and high prices of staple food rendering her primitive kitchen free of foodstuffs.
It is worth noting that Al-Rukban camp experiences a stifling siege by regime forces and their proxy militias since 2019. The camp houses nearly 8,000 displaced people who are stuck in limbo and are mired in catastrophic conditions due to the inaction of humanitarian organisations. The helpless displaced people are suffering from a lack of the most basic essentials such as health care, education, foodstuffs and other fundamentals. The dire, unbearable living conditions force many displaced families to leave the camp from time to time towards areas controlled by the regime forces without any security guarantees.
