Angelina Jolie visits Syrian refugees in Jordan
UNHCR envoy and actress visits refugee camp on Jordan-Syria border, urges all parties in conflict to allow civilians safe passage
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie travelled to the Jordan-Syria border on Thursday to meet Syrian refugees who had just completed the perilous journey to safety in Jordan and are settling in at the Za'atri camp.
"What I saw last night is a dramatic example of the plight of hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have been uprooted by the fighting and are in a desperate search for safety," Jolie said. "Civilians inside the country are being targeted. Many of those trying to flee are exposed to extreme danger right up to the border itself.
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"I appeal to all sides in the conflict to do all they can to ensure the safe passage of these innocent civilians."
Since Jolie's last visit in September, the number of refugees in the region has increased by more than 200,000. The Za'atri refugee camp alone has doubled in size, USA Today reported Friday.
Jolie on Thursday (Photo: Reuters)
'Civilians are being targeted.' Jolie (Photo: AFP)
Nearly half a million Syrians fleeing intensified fighting have been registered in neighboring countries since the conflict began. Hundreds of thousands more are unregistered.
Angelina Jolie and her partner, Brad Pitt, have donated $50,000 dollars for the purchase of tents for the refugees.
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