Syria conflict: Jordanians 'at boiling point' over refugeesSyria conflict: Jordanians 'at boiling point' over refugees

King Abdullah of Jordan says his country is at "boiling point" because of an influx of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.

Jordan is hosting 635,000 of the 4.6 million Syrians registered as refugees with the UN

Ahead of a donor conference on Syria, the king told the BBC that there was enormous pressure on Jordan's social services, infrastructure and economy. "Sooner or later, I think, the dam is going to burst," he warned.

UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, centre, promised on Monday to step up support for Jordan

He said the international community would have to offer more help if it wanted Jordan to keep taking refugees. The UN is seeking $7.7bn (£5.4bn) to fund aid operations for 22.5 million people in Syria and neighbouring countries next year. However, only 43% of its 2015 appeal for $2.9bn was funded.


King Abdullah of Jordan says his country is at "boiling point" because of an influx of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. Ahead of a donor conference on Syria, the king told the BBC that there was enormous pressure on Jordan's social services, infrastructure and economy.

"Sooner or later, I think, the dam is going to burst," he warned.He said the international community would have to offer more help if it wanted Jordan to keep taking refugees. The UN is seeking $7.7bn (£5.4bn) to fund aid operations for 22.5 million people in Syria and neighbouring countries next year. However, only 43% of its 2015 appeal for $2.9bn was funded.

Analysis - Lyse Doucet, BBC News, Amman

For decades Jordan welcomed people escaping wars on its borders - Palestinians, Iraqis, and now so many Syrians they make up nearly 20% of the population.  "For the first time," King Abdullah says, "we can't do it any more."

Schools, hospitals, jobs are under pressure. The king is going to London to drive a hard bargain. If Europe's leaders expect him to create jobs for Syrians so they stay in the region, he expects them to provide long-term assistance to also provide jobs for Jordanians. That's what the London Conference is promising Syria's neighbours.

In Jordan, only 1% of Syrian refugees now have work permits. The king knows opening up the job market would be deeply unpopular unless he can also offer opportunities for his own people.

Years ago, he famously said Jordan was stuck between "Iraq and a hard place". It's far harder now, with thousands of Syrians still arriving at his border.

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Jordan is hosting 635,000 of the 4.6 million Syrians registered as refugees with the UN. The government says more than one million other Syrians are living there, including those who arrived before the uprising erupted in 2011.
In his interview with the BBC, King Abdullah said Jordanians were suffering as a result of the influx, with 25% of the state budget spent on helping refugees, public services under strain and many struggling to find jobs.