AMMAN: Authorities in Jordan on Tuesday estimated at more than $10 billion the cost of hosting thousands of refugees displaced from Syria since the civil war broke out there in 2011.
The UN says that some 650,000 Syrian refugees are currently being housed in Jordan, but the government puts the figure far higher at around 1.3 million people.
In a statement released on social media, the Foreign Ministry said “more than $10.3 billion” had been spent on putting up the refugees.
That figure covered additional expenses in sectors including health, education and employment, and also extra money spent on public services and subsidized food, it said.
Jordan, which shares a 370-km border with Syria, estimates that almost $1.7 billion will be needed to cover the refugees this year.
The kingdom — which has called for the international community to do more on the crisis — has recently come under fire from Human Rights Watch for allegedly “summarily deporting” Syrian refugees.
The group said that on average some 400 refugees were being removed each month at the start of 2017 in a move that could be aimed at preventing the violence in Syria spilling over onto Jordanian territory after several armed attacks.
Authorities insisted that any return of refugees to Syria was voluntary and that they only headed to areas in the country that are considered safe.
The UN refugee agency says 93 percent of the Syrian refugees in Jordan live below the poverty line. Around 180,000 of them are housed in two sprawling camps in the desert.
Fighting in Syria has claimed more than 330,000 lives since a brutal crackdown by the army on protesters in 2011 spiraled into all-out conflict.
The UN estimates that more than 5 million Syrians have been driven from the country by fighting, with the majority settling in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Jordan says hosting Syrian refugees has cost $10 billion
Jordan says hosting Syrian refugees has cost $10 billion
Mass grave found in Libya containing bodies of 21 migrants
- A Libyan national has been arrested on suspicion of killing the migrants and holding others captive
- Photos and video circulated by local media outlets showed bodies piled together
TRIPOLI: Libyan authorities have uncovered a mass grave containing the bodies of 21 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, local media reported Thursday.
News outlets cited government sources as saying a Libyan national has been arrested on suspicion of killing the migrants and holding others captive on a farm in the northeastern town of Ajdabiya.
Libya is a key transit country for thousands of migrants attempting to reach Europe each year, with deaths among migrants frequently reported.
The Internal Security Agency for Libya’s east said it had “discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of 21 individuals of various African nationalities,” according to television channel Al-Masar.
The channel, which is aligned with eastern Libya’s army strongman Khalifa Haftar, said the suspect was detained during a raid on the farm.
Libya remains split between an administration in the east backed by Haftar and a government in the west recognized by the United Nations.
Independent news channel Al Wasat reported that the man had held migrants captive on the farm, some of whom were rescued and hospitalized after the raid.
Photos and video circulated by local media outlets showed bodies piled together and more than a dozen body bags laid out on the ground.
Libya has struggled to recover from chaos that erupted after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 overthrew longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
Smugglers and human traffickers have taken advantage of the instability, with the country facing criticism over conditions for migrants and rights groups levelling accusations of extortion and slavery.
