The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, accused the Syrian regime of triggering a humanitarian crisis in al-Rukban camp.

In a briefing before the UN Security Council on Tuesday, June 25, Thomas-Greenfield stated that the regime obstructed UN humanitarian efforts in the camp.

Actions by the Damascus government, supported by Russia, have triggered a humanitarian crisis, according to Thomas-Greenfield.

The Syrian regime has prevented the UN from accessing thousands of civilians in the camp, leaving them on the brink of disaster, with food and medical supplies becoming scarce.

The current conditions threaten the camp with disease outbreaks and malnutrition, Thomas-Greenfield said, considering that there is no justification for the regime’s obstruction and cruelty.

The US ambassador, in her briefing, demanded that al-Assad cooperate with the UN to ensure long-term delivery of aid, including to the northwestern regions of Syria.

Washington and Damascus continue to exchange accusations about al-Rukban camp.

On June 18, the Al-Rukban Media Center reported that a delegation from the International Coalition Forces (ICF) visited the camp.

In April, the camp’s residents, located on the Syrian-Jordanian border, held a sit-in to protest their conditions.

Syrian regime forces have blocked the entry of food, medicines, and flour into the camp since last March, worsening living conditions for the camp’s residents.

In March 2020, Jordan closed its borders with al-Rukban camp, including the medical point, citing measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The borders have not been reopened since, making the sole access for camp residents through regime-controlled areas.

Meanwhile, Damascus accuses Washington of smuggling the drug “Captagon” via US forces stationed at the al-Tanf base.

On June 15, Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported that “specialized authorities” in Palmyra, eastern Homs, seized “large quantities” of Captagon pills intended for smuggling abroad.

The agency added that “terrorist organizations in the Syrian desert” were working to smuggle the drug shipment to an unnamed neighboring country.

Call for engagement in the constitutional process

In addition to discussing humanitarian aid, Thomas-Greenfield called on Russia and the Syrian regime to meaningfully engage in the Constitutional Committee and other aspects of UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

The call came ahead of a planned visit by UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, to Moscow this June.

According to Thomas-Greenfield, al-Assad’s lack of engagement in the process of reaching a solution to the Syrian conflict would escalate regional strife, with Iran and its proxies using Syrian territory to threaten Israel.

The track of the committee has been stalled for about two years, with the last (eighth) session held in June 2022, and no ninth session has been held since.