無國界醫生籲對約旦邊境沙漠的敘利亞難民　恢復援助和保護

▲圖／攝影者Moyan Brenn, Flickr CC License

文／無國界醫生（MSF）

醫療人道組織無國界醫生（Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières，簡稱MSF）周四（6月30日）表示，約6萬人被困在敘利亞接壤約旦東北部邊境地區，當地環境極端惡劣，需立即向他們恢復人道救援並給予國際保護。

6月21日，當地附近一個軍事哨站發生自殺式襲擊 ，造成7名約旦士兵被殺，14人受傷。受此事件影響，在被稱作「伯姆（Berm）」地區上一個大型的非正式營地棲身的人們，現在既沒有食物也沒有醫療援助，只能獲得極為有限的飲食供應。

無國界醫生項目經理格里斯（Benoit De Gryse）說：「這些人當中50%以上是兒童﹐他們都迫切需要立即恢復食物、飲用水和醫療照護的提供，不能再等了。」

「但是光援助本身是不夠的。從戰爭中逃離的人應該得到國際保護並獲安置到安全的地方。無論敘利亞或是邊境，現在都不安全。」格里斯續說︰「這是集體的責任，也是國際社會的巨大失敗。約旦不能被獨自留下面對敘利亞戰爭所造成的後果。地區內還是地區外的多個國家，都應該邁出一步，為難民提供一個安全的地方。」

無國界醫生在襲擊事件導致救援工作被迫暫停前，一直為被困在伯姆地區的人們提供流動醫療診所服務。
無國界醫生自5月16日開始進行流動診所服務，為3,501人進行了治療。無國界醫生的團隊在當地主要治療的疾病包括皮膚病、腹瀉和營養不良。

5歲以下兒童中，有1,300人被篩查後發現患有營養不良，204人患有中度營養不良，嚴重影響不良的有10人。此外，24.7%的就診兒童患有急性腹瀉，團隊為孕婦進行了450次產前檢查，其中一人產下嬰兒。
格里斯說：「在援助暫停前，這裡的環境就已十分惡劣，我們團隊治療的許多病人都訴說，因為原本居住的地方暴力及不安全情況實在太嚴重，他們才不得不搬到這極度不適合居住的地方。」

格里斯續說：「認為這些人可以回到敘利亞安全地帶的說法簡直是無稽之談。這根本不是一個選擇。他們也不能住在伯姆，莫講是說對數以千計的婦女和兒童，這裡根本對任何人都不安全。有能力的國家不應當坐視不管。它們需要邁出一步，為這些難民提供庇護。」
 

Press Release: 30th June, 2016

MSF calls for resumption of aid and protection for Syrian refugees stuck in the desert on the Jordanian border

Around 60,000 people who are stuck in extremely harsh conditions close to Jordan’s northeastern border with Syria need humanitarian aid to be resumed immediately, and international protection has to be offered, medical humanitarian organization, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said Thursday.

In the wake of a suicide attack on a nearby military post on June 21st where seven Jordanian soldiers were killed and 14 others injured,  no food or medical assistance - and only extremely limited water - has reached the people who have gathered in a large informal camp in the area known as the “berm.”
“These people - more than 50 per cent of whom are children - desperately need the immediate resumption of the provision of food, water and medical care. This cannot wait,” said Benoit De Gryse, MSF’s operations manager.

“But assistance alone is not enough. People fleeing war should be offered international protection and a safe place to relocate. Neither Syria nor the border are safe today” said De Gryse, “This is a collective responsibility and a massive failure of the international community. Jordan cannot be left alone to deal with the fallout of the war in Syria. There are plenty of countries both in and outside of the region who should also step up to offer a safe place for refugees”.

Before the forced suspension of its activities following the attack, MSF had been running a mobile health clinic for the people trapped at the berm.

MSF started running the mobile clinic on May 16, and had provided treatment to a total of 3,501 people. The main illnesses seen by the MSF teams were skin diseases, diarrhea and malnutrition.

Of the 1,300 children under five-years-old screened for malnutrition, 204 were suffering from moderate malnutrition and 10 had severe malnutrition. In addition, 24.7 per cent of the children seen by the MSF medical teams had acute diarrhea. The teams provided 450 consultations for pregnant women and delivered one baby.

 “Conditions before the suspension of aid were extremely harsh, and many of the patients our teams treated told us they had moved to this extremely inhospitable area because of the high levels of violence and insecurity they were living through,” said De Gryse.

 “The idea that there are safe zones in Syria they can return to is nonsense. This is not an option. Neither is staying at the Berm – the area is not safe for anyone, much less thousands of women and children. States with the capacity to do so should not turn their backs. They need to step up and offer asylum to refugees today,” said De Gryse.