Clashes in Syrian refugee camp in Jordan

14 Aug 2012, 11:37 am   -   Source: AAP

Clashes have erupted between Syrian refugees and Jordanian security forces over what Syrians describe as "unbearable" camp conditions.

Clashes have erupted between Syrian refugees and Jordanian security forces over what Syrians describe as "unbearable" camp conditions.

According to security sources and witnesses, Syrian refugees clashed with Jordanian police during a Monday evening protest over living conditions in the so-called Zaatari camp - the second such skirmish in less than 12 hours.

During the impromptu protest, camp residents chanted "God is great" and "the people demand the downfall of the camp", witnesses said.

Syrian refugees claimed that the protest came as a response to Jordanian authorities' alleged beating on Monday of a Syrian youth caught trying to flee the desert camp - a cluster of about 2000 tents on the outskirts of the border city of Mafraq.

Jordanian security sources at the camp said the incident sparked a minor riot among residents, forcing authorities to fire live rounds in the air to disperse the crowd.

No injuries were reported among police in the two clashes, the first reported episodes of violence between Jordanian authorities and Syrian refugees.

The clashes came after a second straight day of dusty, sandstorm-like conditions in northern Jordan, sparking health concerns within the camp and providing cover for daring residents looking to flee the facility.

Abu Mohammed, one of dozens of Syrians who have allegedly fled the camp over the past 48 hours, said tensions had reached a "boiling point" over living conditions that they claim are worse than those in their war-torn homeland.

"There is no electricity, little water, and the tents can't keep out the heat during the day or the cold at night," the 25-year-old Damascus resident told dpa on Monday.

Jordan opened Zaatari, its first Syrian refugee camp, last month in response to rising attempts by regime agents to infiltrate the kingdom and a refugee influx that has reached some 2000 people a day. The move marked the reversal of a 17-month-old policy under which Syrians were allowed to move freely within Jordan.

UN and Jordanian officials have acknowledged that conditions within the camp, which currently houses some 6000 Syrians, are "undesirable", pledging to upgrade the current tents to housing trailers pending available money.

Despite the tensions, Jordan continues to follow an open-border policy that has led to the entry of more than 150,000 Syrians since the outbreak of Damascus's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in March 2011.

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