AMMAN, Jordan — Amman is stranding approximately 50,000 Syrian refugees near the country’s border with Syria, according to multiple UN officials who provided this exclusive information to Al-Monitor. The number of trapped Syrians in Ruqban and Hadalat is nearly double what has been previously reported to be around 26,000 on Feb. 29. Al-Monitor has obtained confidential documents by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which show that 53% of the Syrians who have been blocked in this isolated desert are minors.
Al-Monitor has requested since Jan. 24 to visit the “Berm,” the name used by international aid officials to describe this area. The Jordanian military has refused to provide access and allow Al-Monitor to speak with the trapped Syrian refugees.