(MENAFN- Jordan Times) Jordan has repatriated 40 Syrian families upon their request this week, according to official sources.
Some 40 Syrian families were transferred from the Zaatari Refugee Camp to the Jaber border crossing in line with requests they filed last month, the official sources said.
The transfer comes days after authorities facilitated the voluntary repatriation of some 200 refugees to Syria following clashes in the Zaatari camp that left 27 security personnel injured.
Officials have reiterated their desire to upgrade conditions in the camp, jointly administered by the UN and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation, which at 25,000 refugees is nearing its initial phase capacity.
The transfers come amid a rising demand for voluntary repatriation among Zaatari residents, who attribute their desire to return to their war-torn homeland to a variety of factors ranging from the presence of loved ones back home to the inability to cope with camp conditions.
Abdul Hamid, a 45-year-old from the Syrian city of Daraa, one of dozens of Zaatari camp residents who have allegedly filed petitions over the past two weeks, said he decided to return to Syria to aid the flight of extended family "stranded" by a military blockade.
"I still have responsibilities back home and there is nothing I can do from a tent in a refugee camp," he said.
All Syrians wishing to return to their homeland must file a petition at the governorate headquarters and receive authorisation from the interior ministry.
The number of voluntary repatriations from Jordan has been "low" in comparison with similar humanitarian crises, according to the UN Refugee Agency, with some 1,800 Syrians - or 1 per cent of the total refugee population in Jordan - being transferred back to Syria.
"Refugees often seek to return home for various reasons; to take care of relatives, to check on property, or frankly because they can't handle the life of a refugee," UNHCR Representative Andrew Harper said.
"The UN and the Jordanian government are working together to facilitate the return of those who wish to," he added.
Despite the recent rise in repatriation petitions, officials say the number of Syrians fleeing to Jordan far outpace those wishing to return, with a refugee influx hovering at some 2,000 persons per day.
The Kingdom currently hosts some 187,000 Syrian refugees, whose presence is projected to cost the country some $200 million by the end of the year.
Despite the financial strain the rapidly growing community is placing on the country, Amman has vowed to retain its open-border policy.
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