FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 22, 2024
Besieged Rukban IDP Camp
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) proudly announces the successful completion of its November medical delegation to Rukban IDP Camp in southern Syria. SETF, which remains the only organization able to deliver aid and bring doctors to the camp, focused this fourth medical mission on addressing acute health needs arising from the camp’s worsening conditions as Russian, Iranian and Assad regime forces tighten their siege on the camp.
This delegation, made up of medical experts from the United States and the United Kingdom, treated hundreds of patients suffering from malnutrition, untreated chronic conditions, and urgent medical emergencies over the course of one week. The team included an ER specialist, general practitioner, gynecologist, nurse, and a physician assistant, along with interpreters and medical administrators.
Henrey Van Lierop, a nurse from Arkansas, expressed the significance of visiting Rukban: “I was incredibly moved by my visit to Rukban. I have been on medical missions before, and have spent decades working in healthcare, but was not prepared for what I saw. The incredibly poor living conditions, the malnutrition, and even the children with no shoes, had a huge impact on me. […] What was so uplifting, was seeing the joy in the children’s faces when we visited the schools. Even though they have no desks, and some sit on cardboard boxes, they are obviously hungry for knowledge, and still have the spirit to laugh and sing.”
Since launching Operation Syrian Oasis in 2023, SETF has been the only organization to reach and operate within the Rukban camp, consistently delivering food, healthcare, and education to its residents, while also facilitating visits by 15 medical professionals to provide vital care. However, the recent closure of the last remaining smuggling routes—previously used to obtain basic necessities and address urgent needs—has left the camp completely cut off, intensifying the risk of critical illness and loss of life among the already vulnerable population.
Executive Director Mouaz Moustafa, who was also part of this recent mission, expressed: “Despite limited financial resources, we have proven that aid can reach Rukban. To continue these life-saving missions, SETF urgently calls on support from USAID, as well as all member countries of the International Coalition to sustain this mission that not only results in an enormous humanitarian impact, but that also directly supports Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in terms of force protection and counter-radicalization efforts.”