UN resumes aid delivery to displaced Syrians in berm

AMMAN — The United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator in Jordan announced the resumption of humanitarian assistance to thousands of Syrians trapped across the border with Syria, the UN said.

According to a statement released on Tuesday by the office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan, the life-saving measure will allow an estimated 85,000 stranded Syrians to receive aid after a months-long hiatus due to a terrorist attack against Jordanian troops in June, which resulted in Jordan sealing off the border area near Rukban. Since then, humanitarian agencies were unable to deliver relief except for water.

The resumption of assistance, coming at the start of the coldest period of the year, will consist of winter clothes and items to fight the chill, besides basic necessities and food rations, the statement said. 

The assistance delivery will be conducted through a newly constructed distribution point and a new facility under construction, comprising a health clinic, water tanks and a pumping station. The clinic will provide primary healthcare, maternal and neonatal services, according to the coordinator’s office.

The aid operations will be conducted in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organisation for Migration, UNICEF and the World Food Programme.

The UN agencies commended the Kingdom and the Jordan Armed Forces–Arab Army for making the resumption of the services possible.