Syrian Refugees in Jordan Clash over Blankets

Jordanian riot police fired tear gas on Wednesday to disperse Syrian refugees at a northern desert camp after they clashed over blankets distributed by a local charity, an official and a witness said.

"The Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization was giving away 2,000 blankets at the Zaatari camp. Some refugees tried to grab more blankets, angering other Syrians and clashes broke out," Anmar Hmud, a government spokesman for refugee affairs, told Agence France Presse.

"Police controlled the situation. No one was hurt."

But a witness told AFP "eight people were slightly hurt when the refugees threw stones at each other."

"Police fired tear gas to break up the fighting," said the witness who spoke to AFP by telephone from the Zaatari camp located in Mafraq province north of Amman.

Since it opened in July, Zaatari has seen several protests against poor living conditions, including a lack of electricity.

Jordan says it is hosting more than 250,000 Syrians, with around 55,000 refugees living in the camp near the border with Syria.