Saudis warn citizens to avoid Jordan gatherings

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia urged its citizens to stay away from public gatherings and universities in Jordan, where riots over fuel price hikes have left one person dead and 71 wounded, state news agency SPA reported.

The kingdom’s embassy in Amman “warned Saudi employees and students in Jordan from going to public squares or approaching sites of gatherings and demonstrations,” SPA said late on Thursday.

It also warned them from going to schools “to preserve their security after earlier clashes between security forces and students at universities.”

Unrest in Jordan erupted on Tuesday night in response to a 53 per cent increase in the price of household gas and a 12 per cent rise in petrol.

Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur has said the increases are necessary to help reduce a projected budget deficit this year of 3.5 billion dinars ($5 billion).