Amid freezing temperatures and lack of medical care, at least eight children died in Rukban and seven after fleeing Hajin. 13 of them were under one-year-old.

Statement attributable to Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

AMMAN, 15 January 2019 – “Freezing temperatures and harsh living conditions in Rukban, at the southwestern border of Syria with Jordan, are increasingly putting children’s lives at risk. In just one month, at least eight children - most of them under four months and the youngest only one hour old - have died.

“In Rukban, where 80 per cent of the estimated 45,000 population are women and children, extreme cold and the lack of medical care for mothers before and during birth, and for new infants, have exacerbated already dire conditions for children and their families.

“Meanwhile, in eastern Syria, heavy violence in the Hajin area of Deir-Ez-Zor has displaced an estimated 10,000 people since December. Families seeking safety face difficulties leaving the conflict zone and wait in the cold for days without shelter or basic supplies. The dangerous and difficult journey has reportedly killed seven children – most of them under one-year-old.

“The lives of babies continue to be cut short by health conditions that are preventable or treatable. There are no excuses for this in the 21st century. This tragic manmade loss of life must end now.

“Without reliable and accessible healthcare, protection and shelter, more children will die day in, day out in Rukban, Deir-Ez-Zor and elsewhere in Syria. History will judge us for these entirely avoidable deaths.

“UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict and those with influence over them to provide safe passage for all families seeking safety out of the line of fire, and to facilitate access to lifesaving medical assistance for their children in Hajin and elsewhere in Syria.

“Needs for assistance in Rukban are beyond urgent. They are extremely acute and have become a matter of life and death.

“Once again, UNICEF calls on all sides to urgently facilitate a humanitarian convoy to Rukban, including mobile health clinics, so that lifesaving supplies and services can be delivered.

“Surely, this is not too much to ask when the lives of tens of thousands of children - children - depend on it.”

Media Contacts

Juliette Touma Chief of Communication UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office Tel: 00962798674628 Email: jtouma@unicef.org

Tamara Kummer Communications Specialist UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Tel: +962 797 588 550 Email: tkummer@unicef.org