Syria confirms closure of civil war-era desert camp; displaced return home
The notorious Rukban displacement camp in the Syrian desert, a dark emblem of the country's civil war, has closed, with the last remaining families returning to their hometowns.
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)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
3 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Syria confirms closure of civil war-era desert camp; displaced return home
The notorious Rukban displacement camp in the Syrian desert, a dark emblem of the country's civil war, has closed, with the last remaining families returning to their hometowns. 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)
Al Jazeera
6 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Trump warns Musk of ‘serious consequences' if he funds Democrats
United States President Donald Trump has warned billionaire former ally Elon Musk against funding Democratic candidates in the country's 2026 midterm elections as the pair's volcanic break-up continued to play out on the world stage. 'He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,' Trump told US network NBC News in an interview published Saturday, without spelling out what the repercussions might be for the tech mogul, whose businesses benefit from lucrative US federal contracts. Trump aides, various Republicans, and key wealthy donors to the GOP have urged the two to temper the bitter feud and make peace, fearing irreparable political and economic fallout. But, asked whether he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was over, Trump said, 'I would assume so, yeah'. The interview featured Trump's most extensive comments yet on the spectacular bust-up that saw Musk criticising his signature tax and spending bill as an 'abomination', tensions escalating after he went on to highlight one-time links between the president and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. By Saturday morning, Musk had deleted his 'big bomb' allegation that Trump featured in unreleased government files on former associates of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges. 'That is the real reason they have not been made public,' he said in Thursday's post on X. The Trump administration has acknowledged it is reviewing tens of thousands of documents, videos, and investigative material that his 'MAGA' movement says will unmask public figures complicit in Epstein's crimes. Trump was named in a trove of deposition and statements linked to Epstein that were unsealed by a New York judge in early 2024. The president has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but he had a long and well-publicised friendship with Epstein. Trump has denied spending time on Little Saint James, the private redoubt in the US Virgin Islands where prosecutors alleged Epstein trafficked underage girls for sex. Just last week, Trump had given Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Vice President JD Vance said Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after Trump, though he also tried to downplay his attacks as the frustrations of an 'emotional guy'. 'I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' he said in the interview with comedian Theo Von, released Friday. Trump also told NBC that it was the Department of Justice, rather than he, that had decided to return Salvadoran immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the US, where he faces charges of transporting undocumented migrants inside the country. Trump added that he had not spoken to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele about Abrego Garcia's return.
Al Jazeera
10 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Syria confirms closure of civil war-era desert camp, displaced return home
The notorious Rukban displacement camp in the Syrian desert, a dark emblem of the country's civil war, has closed, with the last remaining families returning to their hometowns. 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. Yasmine al-Salah, who returned to her home after nine years of displacement in the Rukban camp and marked the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha, told The Associated Press news agency on Friday that her feelings are a 'happiness that cannot be described'. 'Even though our house is destroyed, and we have no money, and we are hungry, and we have debts, and my husband is old and can't work, and I have kids – still, it's a castle in my eyes,' al-Salah said. Her home in the town of al-Qaryatan in the eastern part of the Homs province was damaged during the war. 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'. 'We hope this step marks the beginning of a path that ends the suffering of the remaining camps and returns their residents to their homes with dignity and safety,' he added. According to the International Organization for Migration, 1.87 million Syrians have returned to their homes since al-Assad's fall.
