Evacuation Only Way To Rescue Syria's Rukban Camp Residents From Famine - Russian Military

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2019) Evacuation of Syrian internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the Rukban camp is the only way to protect over 40,000 people living there from the risk of famine and disease due to the US failure to prevent the tyranny of armed groups, operating in the area, and Damascus' inability to systematically provide assistance to the camp residents, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

The Rukban camp is a part of the US-controlled zone around Washington's At-Tanf base in Syria. The World Health Organization has said that people living in Rukban were trapped there, noting deplorable conditions in the camp.

"Due to the inability of the American side to prevent the arbitrariness of illegal armed groups against refugees, as well as the lack of state and non-governmental structures to provide systematic humanitarian assistance to the population of Rukban camp, evacuation of refugees from the camp remains the only way to save more than 40,000 people from the threat of hunger and epidemics," the ministry's Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria said in a daily briefing, whose transcript was published on the ministry's website late on Wednesday.

The center added that a humanitarian corridor and the Jleb checkpoint was opened to ensure the unimpeded return of IDPs to their homes. Moreover, the Syrian authorities guarantee safety and facilitated procedures to retrieve documents to the IDPs, according to the center.

Over the past 24 hours, the Russian center held a humanitarian operation at the settlement of Maaloula, located in the Homs province, providing local residents with 500 food kits.

The center also said the Syrian authorities continued implementing amnesty for those who dodged military service, including IDPs and members of illegal armed groups. As of March 19, over 57,000 people have been granted the amnesty.

According to the center, Russia continues assisting the Syrian authorities in restoring the country's infrastructure ruined by war. As of March 19, over 31,400 residential buildings and 147 medical centers and 835 educational facilities have been reconstructed. Moreover, over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of roads have been rebuilt.

"Despite the ceasefire regime being established throughout the country, there are still cases of ceasefire regime violation by illegal armed formations in the Idlib de-escalation zone. Over the past day, terrorists attacked Qalaat Marza (two times), al-Rasif, Rwaiset Iskander, Ikko (two times), Abu Ali, Ain al-Qantra and Djab al-Zuwar in Latakia province, northwestern outskirts Aleppo city," the center concluded.

Russia and Syria have urged the United States to release the Rukban residents and ensure their unimpeded exit from the camp to the places of their permanent residence.