Two newborn babies died in the Al-Rukban camp near the Jordanian border due to lack of medical care in the camp as the blockade imposed by the Assad regime and Russia on the camp continued.
The administration of the camp issued a statement blaming Russia and the Assad regime for the deaths of the two babies aged just a few days.
The statement said that the two babies were in urgent need of medical care, which the camp lacks due to the blockade that has been ongoing for several months.
“Russia and the Assad regime bear full responsibility for the tragic conditions in the camp because of the suffocating blockade they impose on the camp and their blocking of the delivery of food and medical supplies.”
The administration called for holding to account those responsible for the blocked constituting genocide the perpetrators of which must be referred to the International Criminal Court for their involvement in the blockade on more than 60,000 people, mostly women and children.
The Assad regime and Russia tightened the blockade on al-Rukban camp three months ago in an attempt to increase the pressure on people trapped in the camp to leave towards the regime-held areas.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said that at least 921 civilians, including 398 children and 187 women were starved to death as a result of the Assad regime’s blocking of the delivery of food and medicine to the besieged areas.
The Network noted that the siege ended after the regime retook control of these areas and forcibly displaced the majority of their population to northern Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)