[Today’s Prayer] Syrian Desert Refugee Camp Closed… All Civil War Refugees Return Home

The Syrian authorities announced on the 7th (local time) that the Rukban refugee camp in the desert bordering Jordan, which once accommodated tens of thousands of people during the Syrian civil war, has been closed.

Syrian Information Minister Hamza Al-Mustafa announced on X (formerly Twitter) that day, "The closure of the Rukban refugee camp and the return of displaced people have brought an end to a tragic and sad chapter in the war waged by the former regime."

Minister Al-Mustafa said, "Rukban was not just a refugee camp," but "a triangle of death that witnessed the brutality of blockades and starvation caused by the former regime leaving people to face a painful fate in the desolate desert."

The Syrian Emergency Task Force ( SETF) , a human rights organization headquartered in the United States, also announced that "the Rukban refugee camp has officially closed and is now empty," adding that "all families and residents have returned home."

The closure of the Rukban refugee camp appears to be a result of the stabilization of the Syrian situation after the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ( HTS ) overthrew the dictator Bashar al-Assad regime and established a transitional government in December last year .

This place was created when refugees who fled their homeland to Jordan after the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011 gathered in the wasteland near the border. At one time, it was estimated that 40,000 to 70,000 refugees gathered here.

The number of refugees gradually decreased after Jordan closed the border and stopped the inflow of relief supplies in 2016.

However, until the end of last year, just before the fall of the Assad regime, about 8,000 people remained in Rukban, living in mud-brick huts, AFP reported.

Source: News

Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me. But may you have mercy on me, Lord; raise me up, that I may repay them. (Psalm 41:9-10)

We hear that the Rukban refugee camp in Jordan, which hosted tens of thousands of refugees from the Syrian civil war, has been closed, forcing displaced people to return to their native Syria.

Lord, have mercy on the tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled to this wasteland to escape death, suffering, and starvation in the Syrian war, and grant them salvation.

May the Syrian refugees cling to your righteous right hand, shake off their fears, and triumph over darkness. Wash away the bitterness of the Syrian civil war with the blood of Jesus, so that the Syrian people may obey your word, spread the gospel, and restore all nations.

Remember how Jordan served and pour out the love of Jesus, the Son of Man who covers transgressions, that he may generously provide love and supplies to Syrian refugees. Anoint Jordan to follow in your footsteps and take the gospel to all nations, beginning with Syria.

Allow the global church to partner in prayer and resources, to revive the church in Syria, where the powers of darkness will not prevail. As the youth of the global church sow the seeds of the gospel, call the Syrian diaspora to become young disciples of the Great Commission, transforming the land into a revitalized place for Your righteousness and authority. Send out missionaries to Syria to fulfill your plan and covenant for the nations.

Rise up Syria, a blessing among the nations, scattered to spark a spiritual revolution!

Rise up, Syria, missionary disciples who will change the destiny of the end-time nations!