Security and detainees at the Manus Regional Processing Centre in Papua New Guinea clashed on April 9 in response to what activists and one detainee said were inadequate meals provided by the centre.

Refugee activists claim objects, including water bottles and rocks, were thrown between detainees and guards amid tensions over what they said was the decline in food quality. They told Storyful the meals detainees received were rotten and meal times were constantly pushed back with servings shrinking over time.

A video emerged from an incident on Sunday, April 9, showing guards and detainees on either side of a fence line in what is clearly a fractious situation. A couple of guards are seen throwing objects over the fence.

A journalist inside the centre said an Iranian man was beaten and arrested by local law enforcement and taken to Manus island’s Lorengau prison.

Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection told Storyful they were “aware of an incident” which occurred in the Mike and Oscar Compounds.

“The matter was managed by the PNG Immigration and Citizenship Authority and local law enforcement,” a department spokesperson said.

When asked about the quality of rations, they said: “The Manus RPC is managed by the Government of PNG and questions relating to this matter should be directed to them.”

In mid-March it was reported by The Guardian that a mess room was trashed following a riot that erupted over the erection of a fence between detainees and food.