Syrian tragedy plays out on Jordan's streets
The majority of Jordan's 550,000 Syrian refugees live in urban areas, not camps.
AMMAN, Jordan — The streets of Amman are filled with shops for Syrian food, sweets and fruits. Syrian stores are popular and known for their excellent services and good products, the owner of this brand new restaurant, Hazem Akkach, said proudly.
Akkach is one of the 550,000 Syrians scattered across Jordan, but his story cannot be compared to those of Syrian refugees on the daily news. 42-year-old Akkach opened his family business last month, and he is doing well — really well. He has many customers, and he can afford to rent a big house in the city center. However, behind this wealthy mask lies a dark story of fear, abductions and terror.
After the war in Syria started, his family members were terrorized, captured and tortured by criminal groups. In total, eight of his relatives were abducted in a short period of time prior to Akkach’s arrival in Jordan. Paying a ransom of $50,000 wasn’t unusual.
"My uncle, a 60-year-old man living in Damascus, was abducted in bright daylight by supporters of President Bashar al-Assad. They kept him in a dungeon for 20 days without food. He almost died of his heart condition," Akkach told Al-Monitor.
