05.06.12: A Turkish official has told Reuters that in the first five days of June, almost 2,700 Syrian refugees have entered Turkey’s Hatay province. Around 27,000 refugees in total are believed to have crossed the border from Syria to Turkey.
31.05.12: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has said that there are 4,038 Syrian refugees in Kurdistan. 243 more are still waiting to register. The numbers consist of 227 familes made up of 1,711 individuals, and 2,327 unmarried persons. Reports suggest that the high numbers are because Iraqi central government refuese entry to Syrian refugees, and a fear that Iraqi authorities will send them back to Syria if they did manage to enter the country. With a rise in numbers to be expected, the UNHCR has requested $80 million to provided aid to 100,000 refugees over six months. If Syrian refugees remain in Kurdistan for over six months, they may be included in the ratio cards system, say the UNHCR.
28.05.12: As part of its Syria Cries for Help campaign, Qatar Charity will carry out a number of projects with Syrian refugees in Turkey, worth QR7 million (£1.3 million). Together with the Turkish IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, medical and food packages will be supplied to 25,000 refugees, and clothes provided for 10,000 refugees. 3,000 families will also benefit from tents and generators.
26.05.12: A Kuwaiti delegation visited three Syrian refugee camps in Turkey’s Hatay province, to assess the need of future relief efforts. The delegation was made up of charity representatives, Kuwaiti business people, and human rights activists. The relief effort inteneds to provide financial assistance, educational support for displaced students, and medical rehabilitation for those traumatised in the conflict.
22.05.12: The UN’s World Ford Progam has begun distributing food to 12,500 Syrian refugees in Jordan. Together with the help of the Jordan Red Crescent, the UN agency said that “this emergency plan seeks to cover 25,000 Syrians in Jordan on a monthly basis”.
20.05.12: The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) reports that 480 Palestinians have fled from Syria to Jordan since March 2011, and have registered with the agency. UNWRA spokeswoman Anwar Abu Sakina said she expected the actual numbers to be higher. “Some of the registered refugees”, continued Abu Sakina “get a one-time payment of between $300 to $900, while others receive cash and in-kind aid every three months”. Half of the refugees are living in Jordan’s northern Irbid governorate.
19.05.12: A feature by euronews focuses on the importance of host families in Jordan providing help to Syrian refugees. The report states that between 100 and 400 Syrian refugees enter Jordan illegally on a daily basis. The number which register with the UNHCR are few, and the majority rely on the close links between communities either side of the border. Short terms assistance at ‘transit centres’ close to Ramtha is provided, whilst a more long term solution is provided by Jordanian communities. It is hoped that by avoiding the creation of refugee camps, Syrians can be integrated into a Jordanian society through these communties. A UNICEF representative in Jordan, said:
“In Jordan there’s an approach that has already well worked for Iraqi refugees because they are integrated into the communities. In Turkey there is a different language, but in Jordan there are the same families , same tribes, so that’s why integration works well here.”
10.05.12: Jordan expands its holding facilities for Syrian refugees. 450 refugees (including 150 Palestinian refugees from Syria) were transferred to Cyber City, a converted industrial complex on the outskirts of Ramtha. Cyber City is regarded as a replacement for the al-Bashabsheh centre im Ramtha, where the conditions were said to be “unacceptable” by many relief agencies, often holding up to 2,500 refugees in harsh conditions. Other refugees are also being transferred to a makeshift camp at Ramtha stadium before the completion of a third transfer facility in Ramtha’s King Abdullah park which will hold up to 200 famillies.
09.05.12: The number of Syrian refugees entering Jordan has surpassed 14,000, reports the UNHCR. The UN agency reports the figures for official registrations, with the actual number of Syrian refugees in Jordan being much higher. In April alone, 7,630 Syrians registered with the agency, a dramatic increase on the 4,650 registrations between March 2011 and February 2012. 40% of registered refugees were from Homs, and 35% from Daraa.
05.05.12: Aid workers in Lebanon warn of a housing shortage for Syrian refugees. As the numbers increase of those crossing over from Syria, it means that many families are forced to live in cramped conditions, and unfinished homes. Some refugees are also taking shelter in temporary agricultural tents in the Bekaa Valley. Due to the scarcity of homes, prices for accomodation are also rocketing. For low quality housing, a refugee or aid worker could be forced to pay up to $500 per month.
05.05.12: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that over 24,000 Syrian refugees fled to Lebanon from Syria. Figures from UNCHR state that 13, 405 refugees have been registered in the north of the country, with over 9,000 in Akkar, and about 3,000 in Tripoli. Estimates also suggest around 9,250 Syrian refugees in the Bekaa valley, amd that 801 have registed with the UNHCR in Beirut.
