Human Rights Watch: Jordanian restrictions leave Syria refugees stranded in remote border area

AMMAN, Jordan – Human Rights Watch says hundreds of Syrian refugees are stranded in the desert because of Jordanian restrictions and urged Jordan to let them enter the country.

The rights group's regional director, Nadim Houry, says Jordan has gone to great lengths to help refugees but that this is "no excuse to abandon newer arrivals in remote areas for weeks without effective protection and regular aid access."

The group said Wednesday that 2,500 Syrians were stranded in April just inside Jordan, but that the number dropped to 1,000 in late May after Jordan allowed some to move out of the border zone.

A Jordanian government spokesman was not immediately available for comment. Jordan hosts some 630,000 Syrian war refugees, out of a total of almost 4 million who have fled their country.