The funeral march for Mohammed Yaacoub had barely ended last week when police and protesters faced off in the town of Sitra, an impoverished district of Bahrain that has borne the brunt of a year of unrest.
Teenagers using scarves to mask their faces went on a rampage wielding iron bars and petrol bombs, and riot police in their prim blue uniforms and white helmets fired off teargas rounds and stormed down alleyways in their trademark jeeps.
The Bahrain government’s security tactics and offer of concessions appear to have failed in calming the streets; if anything the conflict with opposition activists pushing for democratic reforms has become more violent in recent weeks.
As talks on political reforms stalled and some demands shifted to ditching the ruling Al Khalifa family, hardliners in the government brought in Saudi troops and imposed martial law in a bid to quash a movement that was feared to be large enough to pose a real threat to the existing order.
Police continue to clash with disaffected youth in underdeveloped neighborhoods populated by the island state’s majority Shi’ite Muslim population, who complain of political and economic marginalization by the ruling elite of Al Khalifa and allied families. Now both government and opposition are preparing for a tense month as the February 14 anniversary of the first pro-democracy protests approaches. The stakes could not be higher.
Source: Reuters
Image: Eurosport TV
Recent Comments