TEHRAN, October 17 -A so-called monitoring group says tens of thousands of internally displaced Syrians stranded in a refugee camp in southern Syrian are facing dire conditions as food, water and medical supplies are quickly running out.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) warned on Tuesday that a humanitarian catastrophe would unravel if aid does not reach the camp.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported last week that two children had died due to lack of medical care. Four-month-old Huda Raslan died from malnutrition and a lack of medical access while Munaf al-Mahmoud, a one-year-old baby, died due to the lack of adequate medical care as well.
“Once again, UNICEF appeals to all parties to the conflict in Syria and those who have influence over them, to allow and facilitate access to basic services including health for children and families. This is the very minimum for human dignity,” Geert Cappelaere, the UNICEF Middle East and North Africa director, said in a statement.
The area where Rukban camp is located is controlled by the former US-backed Shuhada al-Qaryatayn militant group. The extremists were supposed to evacuate to Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib in accordance with a Russian-backed deal, but refused to do so.
Syria responds to UN appeal
Meanwhile, Ali Al-Za’tari, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria, said in a statement on Wednesday that “preparations are actively ongoing for a joint UN and Syrian Red Arab Crescent (SARC) convoy next week to provide humanitarian assistance to an estimated 50,000 women, children and men, who are stranded at the Rukban camp.”
“The overall humanitarian situation inside the Rukban camp is at a critical stage. The UN in Syria together with SARC, will reach the camp to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance in the coming few days,” the statement noted.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country.
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