The stranded drivers at the Al-Batha crossing are living in tragic conditions
The truck crisis at Saudi’s Al-Batha border crossing with the UAE has worsened due to a weeks-long suspension; There are 500 trucks in Lebanon, and the losses of truck owners and traders are increasing. They were refused entry through the port while they were stuck, without any apparent reason, in the midst of a catastrophic humanitarian situation.
Truck drivers posted videos and pictures of themselves piling up for days at the UAE-Saudi border crossing.
Tragic humanitarian situation
“Activists said one Syrian driver died, while the others are going through difficult conditions due to lack of food and medicine, amid Saudi Arabia’s obstinacy in allowing them to enter.”
Drivers complained about the high temperatures that exceed 40 degrees Celsius and said they could not bear the tragic conditions they are living in these days at the crossing, especially since it is the month of Ramadan, and there is a lack of water, food, medicine and sanitation facilities.
“They said the authorities are late in their inspections and may be lost for a day searching one truck, and drivers are forced to stay up all the time to guard trucks and loads against theft or damage.”
Intense Anger
Outrage is spreading on social media as the problem of trucks blocked at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Batha crossing worsens with videos posted by a number of social media users depicting the state of affairs currently prevailing at the crossing, with trucks largely deactivated.
#منفذ_البطحاء في #السعودية مغلق امام الشاحنات القادمة من #الامارات
الوضع غريب و ممتد
سائقو الشاحنات واحد منهم توفاه الله و الباقي يتضور جوعا
بضائع كثيرة خربت
معاناة و خسائر مادية رهيبة
من المسؤول ؟؟؟؟؟؟ pic.twitter.com/dQABggwFBu— Mohamed EG (@KingdodoDodo) April 4, 2023
تكدس ضخم للشاحنات في منفذ البطحاء – الغويفات باتجاه المملكة pic.twitter.com/XounzF8fay
— محمد الكواري (@kuwarimud) April 4, 2023
سائقون عالقون في #منفذ_البطحاء #السعودية يعانون من نقص الماء والغذاء والدواء، فيما يعاني بعضهم من أمراض مزمنة، ولا يتوفر لهم أي خدمات، بسبب خلل في نظام الترانزيت، مما يؤدي إلى تعطيل حركة الشاحنات ويسبب خسائر لأصحاب المواد التموينية والغذائية، وتفاقمت المشكلة بسبب شهر #رمضان . pic.twitter.com/1i5Xrt18PI
— Ahmose Economy اقتصاد أحمس (@AhmoseEconomy) April 4, 2023
The trucks are carrying food, medicine, electronics, cars and other consumables which drivers warn could end and be spoiled by the temperatures.
Notably, this overcrowding was also due to Saudi measures in March.
Truck crashes
Jordanian sources revealed that Jordanian trucks arriving from the United Arab Emirates loaded with goods have been stranded for 11 days in the border region between the two countries, lacking services, explaining that refrigerated trucks consume 40 Jordanian dinars a day from diesel to operate the refrigeration engine, so that food and food items will not be damaged. He noted that some of them are expensive, including fish.
It said that Jordanian trucks coming from the UAE through the Saudi border are still parked at the Al-Batha crossing in Saudi Arabia without any solutions to end the suffering of their drivers and avoid material losses as a result of the damage to goods. Among the 500 trucks are about 200 trucks stuck on the border, while others carry goods from the UAE side in preparation for transporting them to Jordan.
