Amman: Jordanian police fired tear gas on Sunday to disperse Syrian refugees at a northern camp after they tried to attack the storehouse of a Norwegian charity as it gave away aid, injuring a policeman.
“A Norwegian charity was distributing aid when 200 refugees at the Zaatari camp started rioting and tried to attack the organisation’s storehouse,” Anmar Hmud, a government spokesman for refugee affairs, told AFP.
“A policeman was injured in the 30-minute riot. Police intervened, firing tear gas to disperse the refugees,” Hmud said.
Since it opened in July, the Zaatari camp which houses more than 90,000 Syrian refugees has seen frequent protests, mainly over poor living conditions.
Last Sunday, refugees in Zaatari fought over tents being distributed by the same Norwegian charity, also prompting police to fire tear gas.
Jordan, which is setting up a second refugee camp northeast of Amman, says it is currently hosts some 340,000 Syrians, 200,000 of whom are UN-registered.
