Damascus Calls on Syrians to Leave Camp near Jordan Border

Syria's government on Thursday called on thousands of displaced Syrians stranded near their country's southern border with Jordan to return to their homes, as the U.N. appealed for protection guarantees. 

Nearly 50,000 Syrians are living in squalid conditions in Rukban, an isolated desert camp located near the Al-Tanf base used by the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

The Syrian government and regime-ally Russia said on February 19 that they have opened corridors from Rukban, calling on residents to leave the settlement.

Damascus renewed the call on Thursday, SANA state news agency said, citing an unnamed foreign ministry source.

"Out of concern for the interest of its citizens, Syria renews its call to our people in the Rukban camp to leave this settlement and return to their cities and villages," the source said.

"The Syrian government will do everything it can to facilitate the transfer of these citizens from the camp to their place of residence," he added. 

No civilians are believed to have left Rukban in the two weeks since Russia and Syria announced the opening of corridors, Panos Moumtzis, the U.N. regional coordinator for Syria told AFP on Thursday.

"So far, as far as we know, there has not been any movement of civilians outside of Rukban," he said. 

The official said the U.N. is not involved in the opening of the corridors but noted that most Syrians are seeking protection guarantees before deciding to leave.

"Most of the people from Rukban, more than 95 percent, want to leave and most of them actually want to go back to government-held areas," Moumtzis said.

"But they have expressed concerns on issues related to protection... basically they want to know that they will be safe," he added. 

Conditions inside the settlement are dire, with many surviving on just one simple meal a day, often bread and olive oil or yoghurt, according to one resident.

Severe weather has hit the region in recent weeks, including heavy and sustained rainfall that flooded the settlement. 

Earlier this month, a humanitarian convoy of 133 trucks delivered food, clothes, healthcare items and medical supplies to the camp's residents. 

The February 6 delivery was the second delivery in three months.

Syria's civil war has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.