Jordan appeals for Syrian refugee aid

Government says it is struggling to cope with the tens of thousands of Syrians who have fled unrest in their country.

As the uprising against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continues, more and more citizens are fleeing the country.

The UN says that number of refugees is now at more than 200,000. Most have fled to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

Turkey has begun temporarily holding thousands of Syrians on the Syrian side of the border as it struggles to cope with a growing wave of refugees.

At least 2,000 people fleeing violence in Syria were prevented from entering Turkey overnight at one of several unofficial border crossings in the southern province of Hatay, a Turkish official and witnesses said on Sunday.

“We have run out of space to house these people. We are working to make shelters and when these are completed we will allow these people across,” the official told Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.

For new arrivals at the Jordanian refugee camps, conditions remain difficult.

And as Al Jazeera’s Jane Ferguson reports from Amman, Jordan, the government has called for international aid to help it cope with the influx.

Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies