UN warns of 'trapped' refugees
UN highlights plight of 2,000 Palestinian refugees stranded on Iraqi-Syrian border
Friday, 09, Nov 2007 08:08
More than 2,000 Palestinians are in danger of becoming trapped in refugee camps along the Iraqi-Syrian border due to dangerous weather conditions, the UN has warned.
The UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) says the situation for refugees at the al-Tanf and al-Waleed camps is "very precarious".
A statement said that recent sandstorms had worsened the already-difficult living conditions in both camps, which are situated in the Iraqi desert near the Syrian border.
Most of the refugees based at the camps have fled violence in Baghdad.
"We continue to seek better solutions, including resettlement options, for the refugees – both within and outside the region," said UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond.
Just one family of eight, which had several sick children, has so far been resettled, with Chile and Sudan the only countries willing to resettle any Palestinians in need of medical attention.
The UN says it is working in close cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Palestinian and Syrian Red Crescent Societies to resolve the situation.
There are more than 13,000 Palestinians still based in the Iraqi capital, with the UN claiming that the refugees are at a heightened risk of attack due to the perception that they received preferential treatment during the regime of Saddam Hussein.