Syria confirms closure of civil war-era desert camp; displaced return home
Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said on Saturday on X that with the dismantlement of the camp, 'a tragic and sorrowful chapter of displacement stories created by the bygone regime's war machine comes to a close'.
'Rukban was not just a camp, it was the triangle of death that bore witness to the cruelty of siege and starvation, where the regime left people to face their painful fate in the barren desert,' he added.
The camp, established in 2014 at the height of the country's ruinous civil war, was built in a deconfliction zone controlled by the United States-led coalition forces fighting against ISIL (ISIS). The camp was used to house those fleeing ISIL fighters and bombardment by the then-government of President Bashar Al Assad, seeking refuge and hoping to eventually cross the border into Jordan.
But Al Assad's regime rarely allowed aid to enter the camp as neighbouring countries also blocked access to the area, rendering Rukban isolated for years under a punishing siege.
About 8,000 people lived in the camp, staying in mud-brick houses with food and basic goods smuggled in at high prices.
But after Al Assad was toppled following a lightning offensive led by the current president of Syria's interim government, Ahmed Al Sharaa, in December, families began leaving the camp and returning home.
Al Sharaa has promised to unite Syria following the fall of Al Assad and rebuild the country at home and rejoin the international fold abroad.
Last month, Al Sharaa met with world leaders, including United States President Donald Trump, who announced that sanctions on Syria would be removed in a decision that would allow the country a 'chance at greatness'. The European Union followed suit and also lifted sanctions. Both moves have given Syria a critical lifeline to economic recovery after nearly 14 years of war and economic devastation. Syrian Minister for Emergency Situations and Disasters Raed Al Saleh said on X said the camp's closure marks 'the end of one of the harshest humanitarian tragedies faced by our displaced people'. (Agencies)
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