Washington warns citizens against travelling to 4 Jordan governorates

The US has warned its citizens in Jordan against travelling to 4 governorates after developments in the protests and ongoing truck strike in the country that began on 5 December.

The US Embassy in Jordan posted a warning on its website on Thursday.

The embassy said: “US government personnel have been restricted from both personal and official travel to the governates of Karak, Tafilah, Ma’an, and Aqaba until further notice.”

The embassy noted that the measure is due to: “Reports of ongoing protests, burning tires, and throwing stones at vehicles on streets and highways throughout Jordan and particularly in the south.”

It warned: “Road closures and related security incidents are frequent and unpredictable, and emergency services are experiencing significant delays when responding to calls for help.”

It reminded US citizens that: “Even protests intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. As always, please be aware of your surroundings and monitor local media.”

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The embassy’s further advice was to: “Avoid large crowds and protests, seek alternate routes around road closings, be aware of your surroundings, monitor local media, contact the police by dialling 911 if you are in immediate danger.”

Several Jordanian governorates witnessed protests as part of worker strikes in the trucking sector, demanding a “reduction in the prices of oil derivatives,” which recorded a significant increase this year.

Last November, the Petroleum Pricing Committee decided to increase the price of a litre of diesel by 35 fils, meaning it rose from the previous 860 fils ($1.21) to 895 fils ($1.26).

It was also decided to raise the price of gasoline 90 by ten fils, bringing its selling price to 920 fils ($1.29) per litre.

Meanwhile, the price of petrol 95 was raised by 15 fils, bringing the price of a litre to 1,170.