Delivery of aid to Syria’s Rukban camp completed

The UN and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent complete a desperately needed aid delivery to displaced Syrians in a remote desert camp near the border with Jordan.

Fadwa Abed Rabbou Baroud, of the UN Office of the Resident Coordinator, says the delivery to the Rukban camp included a month’s worth of food, as well as medicine, clothes and vaccinations.

Nearly 50,000 people are stranded in the desert and had received no aid since January. At least four people have died in the past month due to malnutrition and extremely limited access to medical care.

The Syrian government and its ally Russia have blamed US troops stationed nearby for failing to provide security for aid shipments, allegations denied by the Americans. Jordan closed the border over security concerns.

— AP