UN Says Syria's Rukban Camp Needs New Aid Convoy As 'Life-Saving' Supplies Running Out

The Rukban refugee camp in Syria is in need of a new convoy with humanitarian aid as the existing food stocks will run out in mid-March, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Public Information Officer in Damascus Hedinn Halldorsson told Sputnik

GENOA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th February, 2019) The Rukban refugee camp in Syria is in need of a new convoy with humanitarian aid as the existing food stocks will run out in mid-March, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Public Information Officer in Damascus Hedinn Halldorsson told Sputnik.

On February 15, the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent delivered aid to the Rukban refugee camp for the first time in months.

"Food supplies delivered during the convoy earlier this month will be running out mid-March. Hence, an additional convoy will need to take place in order to deliver life-saving services and supplies to the people of the Rukban makeshift settlement," Halldorsson said.

Halldorsson then went to brief Sputnik on the findings of a survey conducted by the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) between February 5-14, in which residents of the Rukban settlement were asked about their plans regarding their future life in the camp.

"Overall, some 2,786 household surveys were conducted, representing a third of the total population. An overwhelming majority of residents surveyed expressed their wish to leave the camp, with the lion's share of those surveyed wanting to return to their areas of origin but having concerns relating to their safety and security at the destination and asked for information on the security situation there; explosive hazard contamination; access to civil documentation; and amnesties, including military service," he said.

The situation in the Rukban camp, which is situated within the US-controlled zone surrounding its military base in At-Tanf, has become increasingly dire as refugees residing there have not been regularly receiving sufficient amounts of humanitarian aid.

On Tuesday, the United States called on Russia and Syria to facilitate a new humanitarian convoy to the camp before the end of March.