Clashes between police and refugees in one of the world's largest refugee camps turned deadly, leaving two dead and dozens injured.

A spokesman for the United Nations' refugee agency spoke to reporters Friday in Geneva. He said rioting broke out Thursday at the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya.

Spokesman Adrian Edwards said the fighting began when police confronted refugees over some illegal structures they built around a food distribution point. He said police responded first with tear gas and then with live ammunition.

The U.N. says the Dadaab refugee camp has been plagued by overcrowding made worse by droughts and violence, which has caused tens of thousands of Somalis to flee to Kenya.

Officials say more than 61,000 Somalis have sought safety in Kenya since the start of the year, with almost half of them coming across the border in just the last month.

The U.N. says the recent arrivals have pushed the total population at Dadaab to more than 370,000.

The U.N. also says camps set up in southeastern Ethiopia to accommodate Somali refugees have also reached full capacity.