Saudi Troops Arrive in Bahrain as Protests Escalate
March 14th, 2011Via: Christian Science Monitor:
Amid concerns of a Shiite uprising in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia sent troops to support the Sunni monarchy. Bahrain’s opposition denounced the move as an ‘occupation.’
Saudi forces have reportedly arrived in Bahrain to reinforce its police, who clashed with protesters yesterday in an escalation of the month-long Shiite-led protests calling for democratic reform.
The Saudi forces are there on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the regional organization of which Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are both members. Their intervention underlines Saudi Arabia’s deep worry over the unrest on its border, but it’s likely only to harden the stance of the protesters, who have been unsatisfied by the government’s response to their demands.
The protest is led by Shiites, who make up about 70 percent of Bahrain’s population, which has been ruled by the Sunni Al Khalifa family since the late 1700s. The country’s Shiites complain of discrimination and have called for government reforms.
