Damascus, SANA – After a decade of displacement and suffering, the era of Rukban camp has concluded with the departure of the families who sought refuge there. For years, the camp had served as a haven from the brutality of the deposed regime.
This step is more than just the dismantling of tents and basic facilities; it’s a turning point for the displaced individuals who endured years of siege, starvation, and a lack of essential services.
Rukban camp was established in 2014 in the heart of the Syrian desert, at the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border triangle. Tens of thousands of Syrians sought refuge there after the ousted regime’s war machine forced them to flee their homes.
At its peak, the camp housed over 100,000 people, but its tragic conditions made it one of the worst places of refuge in the world, according to international human rights organizations.
With the suffocating siege imposed by the fallen regime, the camp lacked even the minimum necessities for life. Diseases and malnutrition spread, leading to preventable deaths if medical care had been available.
The tragedy of the displaced in Rukban camp wasn’t limited to a scarcity of food and medicine; they also faced complete isolation due to the siege imposed by the deposed regime with Russia’s assistance.
United Nations reports repeatedly confirmed that the camp was under siege and that delivering humanitarian aid was nearly impossible for years.
Despite appeals from international organizations, the situation remained unchanged until gradual waves of displacement began in search of safer and more suitable places to live.
With the victory of the Syrian people’s revolution on December 8th of last year and Syria’s liberation from the grip of the ousted regime, the camp’s residents began returning to the areas they had been displaced from over a decade ago. This return wasn’t just about regaining homes and land; it was a reclaiming of life itself. Families started rebuilding what the former regime’s war had destroyed, amidst coordination between tribal elders and the newly formed local councils after the liberation.
The dismantling of Rukban camp is not merely the removal of tents and temporary shelters; it’s the beginning of ending a tragic era of forced displacement imposed by years of war.
Syrians still living in other camps, both inside and outside the country, see this step as a glimmer of hope towards fully closing the displacement file and ensuring everyone’s return home.
With the Syrian state’s commitment to dedicating all its capabilities to reconstruct the damaged areas, it appears that this dark chapter in modern Syrian history is finally closing, allowing Syrians to open a new chapter defined by return, stability, and living in freedom and dignity.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
