Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Jordanian authorities said they continue to investigate the riots that took place Saturday evening [April 5] in the Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees in northeast Jordan. The riots’ effects lasted two days and resulted in the death of a refugee in his 20s and the wounding of 29 police officers and five refugees.

The Jordanian authorities explained that the investigation was undertaken by a committee that was formed by the departments of public security and the police.

After days of tension, calm has returned to the camp. Official talk has once again emerged about the danger of so-called “sleeper cells,” which authorities say are working among the refugees for the sake of the Syrian regime.

A senior Jordanian official told Al-Hayat, “The kingdom is facing a major challenge from groups inside and outside the camp that are suspected of loyalty to the regime in Damascus.” Another security source said, “The relevant authorities have seized an explosive device inside the camp and defused it.” Jordanian security authorities have announced, throughout the Syrian crisis, the capture of several groups coming through Damascus that “have proved to be involved and are working to destabilize the stability of the kingdom.”

Jordanian government spokesman Minister Mohammed al-Momni told Al-Hayat, “The security agencies will not allow security violations inside or outside the camp.” Momni spoke about the danger of sleeper cells, but added, “Jordan’s security cannot be harmed, and the professionalism and vigilance of our security services would stop anyone who tries to [harm] security.”

Officials and relief workers told Al-Hayat, “The camp is currently undergoing a comprehensive security survey to search for those involved in the riots. Weapons have been smuggled into the refugee areas.”

Zayed Hammad, the head of the Jordanian “Book and the Sunnah” association, which provides services to tens of thousands of refugees in the camp, said, “There is important information on the existence of groups within the camp that aim to chaos among the refugees. [Those groups] are like sleeper cells operating for the interests of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.”

A few months ago, the Jordanian Public Security Department announced the capture of Syrian groups possessing night-vision goggles and Thuraya [satellite] phones, and that they were subject to a lengthy investigation, without providing details.

The Jordanian army has repeatedly announced the seizure of arms and ammunition smuggled from Syria to Jordan. The army said that arms smuggling has increased 300% this year, while infiltration to and from Jordan has increased 250% compared to last year.

Director of the Department of Syrian Refugees in Jordan, Brig. Gen. Wadah al-Hammud, said, “The legal investigations on the killing of a Syrian refugee who was hit by a bullet from an anonymous source during the riots are being conducted by Mafraq’s prosecutor.” He added, “There is a security plan to better control things inside the camp.”

The new plan includes increasing the number of security patrols, dividing the camp into nine security sectors and forming community policing committees by the refugees themselves.

Hammad told Al-Hayat, “The authorities fear a mass escape from the camp, which is already starting to happen. … There are thousands of refugees who managed to escape, or about 10% of the camp residents.”

Zayed spoke of “individual” and “organized” escapes, pointing out that “some of the refugees are using the night cover and the lax security to escape.” He said, “Jordanian and Syrian sides are helping the refugees escape in return for a fee.”

Jordan, which has a border stretching more than 370 kilometers [230 miles] with Syria, is hosting more than half a million Syrian refugees, of whom about 130,000 are in the Zaatari camp north of the kingdom. The Zaatari camp, which is in the province of Mafraq in the northeast and close to the Syrian border, has witnessed from time to time riots protesting the conditions inside the camp.


*Al-Monitor