DAMASCUS, Syria, April 11 (NNN-SANA) – Dozens of civilians reached a crossing point in the Syrian desert, coming from the rebel-held Rukban refugee camp, in south-eastern Syria.
The evacuees from the camp reached the Jlaighem crossing, in the eastern countryside of Homs Province, in central Syria, after leaving Rukban camp near the U.S.-controlled al-Tanf area, in the remote south-eastern countryside of Homs.
The people expressed relief when reaching safety and spoke of the tough situation in the camp.
Salem, a 70-year-old displaced man, said that, the situation back in Rukban was “horrible.”
“We didn’t have wheat so we didn’t have bread. We also didn’t have water. We were hungry, sick and cold. I wish everyone in Rukban could come here to return to our lives. This is our land. I say to the people there, come here, come here to live in peace,” he said.
Majed, another 50-year-old displaced man, said that, everything is expensive in that rebel-held camp.
“Life back there in the camp was very tough, but being with loved ones was the only thing that made us endure the hardships. Everything there is so expensive. The sugar and salt were sold at very high prices,” he said.
On April 2, the first batch of civilians left Rukban with dozens of people reaching government-controlled areas in Homs.
The Syrian government has repeatedly accused the U.S. forces in al-Tanf, of preventing aid convoys from reaching the Rukban camp, which is controlled by the rebels near the Syrian-Jordanian border.
On Feb 19, the Syrian government opened two humanitarian corridors near al-Tanf, for the evacuation of people from Rukban.
The Rukban camp is home to 50,000 displaced Syrians, who are suffering from the harsh humanitarian situation because of the cold weather and lack of supplies.– NNN-SANA
