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Jordan’s huge refugee population creates unstability
October 05, 2016
The enormous number of refugees who have flocked into Jordan have created an “unsustainable and dangerous situation” in that country, the head of the Caritas Jordan relief agency warns.
Jordan, a country with a native population of 6.5 million, is now hosting 2.7 million refugees, more than any other nation. And the flow of refugees is continuing, with thousands of desperate families fleeing from the bloodshed in Syria.
Wael Suleiman, the director of Caritas in Jordan, told the Fides news agency that “we are aware of carrying out an important humanitarian mission and we want to continue.” But the economic and social burdens of providing for the growing refugee population is taking a heavy toll on Jordan, he reported. “The national debt has grown exponentially in recent years. Many Jordanians are now poorer than many immigrants.”
If world leaders do not support Jordan’s efforts to shelter immigrants, Suleiman predicted, “there will come a time when even here all doors to enter the country will be closed.”
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