Amid a series of grim milestones associated with the Syrian-driven refugee crisis – including the displacement of over one million children – Jordan is now reporting a surge in refugees crossing its border this past week. The numbers, per the Associated Press, have crossed 900 a day:

Ali Bibi, a liaison officer with the U.N. refugee agency, said the increased number of Syrian refugee arrival was due to the “security situation in southern areas bordering Jordan.” Two officers with the rebel Free Syrian Army coordinating the movement of refugees between Syria and Jordan said there were additionally thousands of refugees waiting to cross into Jordan. They said the refugees moved recently from areas in the suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus into two villages in Syria’s south, namely Tal Shahab and Zeizoon, near the Jordanian frontier.

The article also notes that nearly 600 refugees return to Syria daily due to the uncertain conditions in Jordan. Instability in Jordan has continued to deepen despite the best efforts of international aid workers, including Israeli workers.

Syria has alternated between attacking refugees trying to flee to Jordan and using the threat of further refugee flight as an implicit threat against its neighbors.

The Syrian refugees who have escaped have both strained the resources of U.S. allies and deepened sectarian tensions in countries such as Iraq and Lebanon.

[Photo: FreedomHouse / Flickr]