ALTERCATION AT RUWAISHED REFUGEE CAMP COULD

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 006177

SIPDIS

DHS FOR BCIS
ATHENS AND ROME FOR BCIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2013
TAGS: PREL PREF PGOV KPAL IZ JO
SUBJECT: ALTERCATION AT RUWAISHED REFUGEE CAMP COULD
ENCOURAGE GOJ TO MOVE CAMP TO NO MAN'S LAND

REF: AMMAN 6028

Classified By: Amb. Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b)(d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Four residents of Ruwaished refugee camp set
themselves and a UNHCR trailer on fire September 23, leading
to "rioting" in the camp, including attacks on UNHCR staff,
who were forced to flee. The Jordanian Interior Minister
contacted UNHCR to urge that the situation be brought under
control soon. UNHCR expressed concern that this incident may
encourage the GOJ to move the camp's population -- which
includes 80 UNHCR-recognized refugees seeking resettlement in
the U.S. -- to the "no man's land" camp just outside the
Jordanian border checkpoint on the Jordan-Iraq border. A
commitment from DHS to send a resettlement mission could help
delay any GOJ action to move the camp residents. END SUMMARY


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RUWAISHED CAMP RESIDENTS BURN SELVES, TRAILER
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2. (SBU) UNHCR Jordan Rep Sten Bronee told RefCoord that
there had been an altercation at UNHCR's Ruwaished refugee
camp on September 23. Bronee was at the camp that day to
speak with Somali and Sudanese rejected asylum seekers.
While he was speaking to representatives of this group, four
rejected asylum seekers barricaded themselves in an adjacent
trailer and set themselves and the trailer on fire. Police
and UNHCR staff had to break into the trailer to rescue the
four -- one of whom was injured seriously and medevaced to
Amman for treatment. A second suffered moderate injuries.
After this incident, residents of the camp "rioted" and
attacked UNHCR staff. Bronee said that, at this point, he
and other UNHCR staff retreated to their vehicles and fled
the scene. Jordanian Badia (rural) police who patrol the
site restored order.


3. (C) Bronee reported that Jordanian Interior Minister
Habashneh had called him at home that evening to say that the
situation at the camp had gotten "out of control" and must be
rectified quickly. Bronee said that he fears this incident
will speed up GOJ efforts to move the camp's population from
Ruwaished to the "no mans land" camp just outside the
Jordanian border post on the Amman-Baghdad highway (ref).
Bronee pointed out that the Ruwaished camp still contains
many UNHCR-recognized refugees who are awaiting resettlement
-- including 80 who are being considered for resettlement in
the U.S.

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GOJ REPORTS SEIZURE OF "ARMS CACHE"
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4. (C) In a related issue, Bronee said the Interior
Minister reported to him that the GOJ had discovered an "arms
cache" in the no-mans-land camp. Added to the already
difficult conditions at the NML camp, Bronee said that he is
even more concerned for the safety and security of refugees
there.

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COMMENT
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5. (C) We, too, believe that this violent incident at
Ruwaished could encourage the GOJ to try to move Ruwaished
residents to NML before UNHCR can find a permanent solution
for the 550 camp residents who have not been accepted as
refugees by UNHCR. As noted in ref, a positive commitment
from DHS to a November resettlement mission would bolster our
case with the GOJ to delay transfer of the remaining camp
population to NML.


6. (U) CPA Baghdad minimize considered.

Visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/

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home page.
GNEHM