Amman, Jordan – In a one-room apartment in Jordan’s capital, Amman, Ali sits next to his mother-in-law. She’s doing her best to lull the cries of his one-year-old child, who has been sick for the last few months.

Ali and his family are from Darfur, West Sudan. Three years ago they boarded a flight to Jordan to escape the on-going civil war there. But instead of receiving protection, Ali has been forced to live as an undocumented resident, unable to get help from most of the humanitarian organisations operating in the kingdom.

There are an estimated 5,500 asylum seekers like Ali. They are effectively stranded in Jordan, the result of a 2019 government decision to prevent all those entering the country for the purpose of medical treatment, study, tourism, or work from being recognised as refugees. The decision has primarily affected those who must fly to Jordan, and therefore must be issued a visa prior to departure.

Notably, these include those fleeing the wars in Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan. None of these conflicts has ended, and so this problem is likely to continue to grow. New fighting in Darfur especially, which has seen over 400 people killed and thousands injured since April 15 as rival military factions battle for control, is likely to propel more refugees into the same trap as Ali in the coming months.

Jordan is now the second highest refugee hosting country per capita in the world. The majority originate from Jordan’s neighbours; over two million Palestinians, around 660,000 Syrians, and around 60,000 Iraqis are registered with the UN’s agency for refugees (UNHCR). However, it is also home to small groups of refugees from further away. Their stories often go unnoticed, and their reception has been far less welcoming.