Amnesty International on Monday called on the US to provide urgent humanitarian aid to more than 8,000 displaced Syrians in the Rukban camp, a remote area in southeast Syria that borders Jordan and Iraq.

Rukban became one of the crossing points for Syrian refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war in 2011. However, due to security concerns, Jordan blocked refugees at Rukban from entering the country, leading to the creation of the refugee camp. Since 2016, the US has maintained a military base 16 kilometers from Rukban, exercising de facto effective control over the area where the refugee camp is situated.

In recent year, the Syrian government has tightened their blockade of the camp, preventing UN aid from reaching the refugees. Amnesty International is urging the US to deliver life-saving assistance, including basic necessities such as food, clean water and healthcare, to the Rukban’s residents. Aya Majzoub, Amnesty’s Deputy Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa said:

The Syrian government must immediately lift its siege on the area and allow humanitarian aid deliveries to reach residents of the camp. In addition, given that the US has de facto effective control over the territory on which the camp is located, it should fulfil its human rights obligations and ensure that the camp’s residents have access to food, water and essential healthcare.

Under international humanitarian law, an occupation takes place when the hostile army is in effective control of the territory. The Hague Regulations of 1907 Article 42 states that a territory is considered occupied when it is placed under the authority of the hostile army, and the occupying power can only exercise this authority where it has been established. Further, the Fourth Geneva Conventions Article 55 and Additional Protocol I Article 69 stipulate that the occupying power is responsible for the continued functioning of public services for the benefit of the population under occupation. The occupying power thus has to ensure that the civilian population has the basic necessities needed for its survival, including food, medical supplies, clothing and shelter.

Despite the U.S. military’s employment of 500 Rukban men, there has been no regular assistance provided to the camp’s refugees. In a remark given at the Aspen Security Forum in 2019, then US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey stated that the US does not recognize itself as an occupying power in Rukban, denying responsibility for the camp’s humanitarian needs.