Tribal brawl breaks out in Maan university

By Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN - Tribal violence erupted among university students in Maan on Sunday, prompting security forces to close the road leading to Al Hussein University (AHU) campus, according to officials.

Dozens of students at AHU in the southern Governorate of Maan started a large-scale brawl, which left “several” people injured and caused minor damage to university property, according to acting AHU President Sultan Maani.

Several students were injured and the windows of university facilities were broken when dozens of students belonging to rival tribes hurled rocks at each other during classes yesterday, he said, adding that the university is investigating the causes of the fight and will take “strict measures to hold the perpetrators accountable”.

Maani stressed that police intervention was not required to bring the situation under control, adding that some university seniors helped restore calm on campus.

“The situation is now under control and university security staff managed to separate the students who were involved in the brawl,” Maani told The Jordan Times over the phone yesterday.

In order to prevent the violence from escalating, Gendarme personnel cordoned off the road leading from the desert highway to the university, Public Security Directorate (PSD) Spokesperson Lt. Colonel Muhammad Khatib told The Jordan Times yesterday.

Khatib added that nearly 100 students belonging to two separate tribes were involved in the brawl, stressing that no casualties have been reported to the police. It was not immediately clear what sparked the clash.

20 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=32772.