Jordan Times
Friday, March 5, 2004
Fate of Palestinians in Ruweished camp still uncertain
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN - With two months left before the Ruweished camp is set for closure, the UNHCR is pressing ahead to find a solution for some 467 Palestinians who have refused to return to Iraq and have little option of elsewhere to go.At a press conference held late Wednesday, UNHCR representative Sten Brunee said most of the Palestinians have remained adamant about not returning — mostly for safety concerns.
“Finding a solution for the Palestinians is going to be a very difficult task as conditions are not conducive for their return,” said Brunee, referring to the refugees who arrived at the camp some 10 months ago.
“We are, however, in close dialogue with the government on the progress being made to find solutions for this segment,” he added.
The Palestinian refugees in Ruweished camp, some 70 kilometres from the Iraqi border, have been a difficult issue for the UNHCR, since they fled Iraq last spring. Most of them have expressed fear of returning because of persecution and intimidation by Iraqis, who allegedly forced them out.
However, Brunee said he believed that many would return if they felt their safety would not be jeopardised and appropriate living conditions were secured for them.
Jordan, which is already home to some 1.3 million Palestinian refugees in 13 camps across the Kingdom, has agreed to keep the Ruweished camp open until the end of April.
The deadline for the camp's closure had been extended from October 2003 until the end of the year.
Brunee reiterated the need to find a durable solution for the refugees, that include Somali and Sudanese nationals, with the cooperation of other countries in the region.
The government permitted 386 Palestinians with Jordanian spouses to enter the Kingdom last year, while around 60 Sudanese and Somali refugees (asylum-seekers) are to be taken in by the United States. They form around one-sixth of the refugees in Ruweished.
After almost 10 months in the desert, the lives of these refugees have been far from easy.
Frequent sandstorms and icy desert winds, as well as the threat of snakes and scorpions have exacerbated the feelings of despair and hopelessness among camp residents.
“To say that these refugees are coping reasonably well would not be a true reflection of their current condition. They are, however, composed and striving to deal with their situation under the difficult circumstances,” said Brunee.
UNHCR is also still facing the challenge of dealing with some 1,076 Iranian Kurdish refugees from Al Tash camp in Iraq, who currently reside in the no-man's-land.
Among them are 47 Palestinians, a Sudanese, an Egyptian and a Turkish national.