MIGRASYL

News on migration and asylum from around the region - Nouvelles de la région sur les questions de migration et d'asile

Friday, January 25, 2013

[Syria, Jordan] Los Angeles Times - Syrians in Zaatari refugee camp fled danger, found misery


[Picture from same article - copyright latimes.com, 22/1/2012 - Mohammad Hannon, AP - 8/1/2013]

22.01.2013. This sprawling tent city, by far the largest refugee camp for Syrians fleeing their war-ravaged nation, is becoming more crowded by the day, even as operating funds are running low.

Winter storms, the most recent of which collapsed tents, turned roads into muddy quagmires and helped spark a riot during food distribution, have compounded the misery for more than 60,000 residents, a number that grows by an average of 1,200 daily.

Camp administrators acknowledge that Zaatari is chronically underfunded, slowing purchases of essential items such as prefabricated shelters. They're meant to replace the canvas tents that still house most residents and provide little insulation from the elements. No one here is trying to sugarcoat the dismal reality of life in Zaatari.

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