update on the refugee camps in no man's land between iraq and jordan
arusha | 04.06.2003 22:08
The delegation has tried to access various channels in order to be able to get into contact with these camps. The UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees)is present in these camps though it is not managing them officially,for they are under the authority of the Jordanian government. However it is the Red Cross and the UNHCR which are providing the refugees with food supplies and basic medical assistance. These organisations are very anxious that this situation does not get institutionalized. The delegation tried to get in touch with the Jordanian Ministry of Interior to be able to see the camps, but it has proven very difficult.
Who are these refugees? There are three main camps:
In Camp A: 960 Palestinians are now living there having lost their homes in Iraq in various contexts during the war, for example some were considered to have been favoured by Hussein's regime. These people are not allowed into Jordan, though many of them are married to Jordanian women. Yet immigration laws Jordan do not allow for family reunification. In fact there is a proposal during the current electoral campaign to allow women to apply for family reunification.
In Camp b: 340 students from Somalia are now living there> They were following university degrees in Iraq but had to flee because of the war. They do not want to go back to Somalia that would mean that their years of study in Iraq were wasted, as they would go back with no qualifications.
In the third camp: about 1200 people of various origins are living there, mainly Irani Kurds and Palestinians, who are just simpy trapped in this no man's land.
The delegation demands that something be done urgently for these people, by the Jordanian government,the United Nations and the European Parliament.
arusha
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