Syrian refugees riot in Jordanian camp

Stone-throwing Syrian refugees wounded 26 policemen on Tuesday in a protest over conditions in a camp in northern Jordan that has seen a massive influx in recent days, Jordanian officials said. "Several dozen Syrian refugees demonstrated in the Zaatari camp over their living conditions," a government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Some of the refugees threw stones, wounding more than 20 police and gendarmes." he added. Security sources denied that a child had died in the violence, saying that there were no casualties. An eyewitness called Mohammed Hussein Faouri who was present at the time said: "A number of Syrian refugees protested against the living conditions, while some 'intruders' burnt tents forcing refugees to runaway and clash with security forces." A security source said: "We were obliged to call in police and gendarmes to take charge of the situation and were obliged to use force to deal with it." It was the second time in less than a week that the security forces had to intervene in Zaatari. Last Thursday, police dispersed a group of refugees who had clashed with warders who had prevented them from leaving the camp confines. A governmental official told Arabstoday that the riots were "intended to provoke problems inside the camp for second time". The latest disturbances came as the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported that the number of Syrians fleeing to the camp had doubled in recent days, with more than 10,000 taking shelter there. "The pace of arrivals from the Syrian border to the Zaatari camp in North Jordan has doubled in the past week," said UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming, adding that more than 22,000 Syrians have taken shelter in the camp since it opened on July 30.