Protests in Oman Spread From Port City to Capital
Hamid Al-Qasmi/European Pressphoto Agency
Smoke rose from a supermarket in Sohar, Oman, roughly 150 miles north of the capital, Muscat, during protests calling for political reforms on Monday.
By NADA BAKRI
Published: February 28, 2011
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Demonstrators blocked roads and held rallies on Monday in Oman, a normally quiet oil-rich country along the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, as three-day protests calling for political reforms and better living conditions spread to Muscat, the capital.
Associated Press
Omani nationals watched smoke rise from the Lulu Hypermarket in Sohar, Oman, on Monday.
Karim Sahib/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Trucks were confiscated by protesters, who blocked access to Oman’s second biggest port in Sohar, north of Muscat, the capital.
The protests in Oman, the latest country to join the wave in the Arab world, highlight the depth of discontent against long-serving dictators and monarchs. It also suggests that demonstrations could spread to other Persian Gulf countries.
In the northeastern port city of Sohar, where the protests originated, demonstrators blocked roads to the port, Oman’s second biggest, and to an industrial area that includes a refinery and an aluminum factory, two witnesses in Sohar and news agencies said. They also set a supermarket on fire and clashed with the police.
Protesters have also been camped out for three days in the city’s main square, called Kurra Ardiyah Roundabout, despite efforts by the police and army to push them out, a resident in Sohar said by e-mail.
Television images showed a small number of protesters gathered in Muscat. The demonstrations there appeared peaceful.
In an attempt to ease tensions, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has ruled for four decades since seizing power from his father, sent delegates to Sohar on Monday to negotiate with the protesters, but the outcome of those meetings remained unclear. He also promised to give more powers to the legislative council, according to ONA, the state news agency.
Oman’s ruling council issued a statement on Monday condemning “sabotage” while saying peaceful demonstrations were within “the legal rights of citizens.” A YouTube videoshowed several hundred men marching toward Kurra Ardiyah Roundabout and chanting “No to sabotage” and “Long live Oman.”
The clashes on Monday came a day after a deadly confrontation between protesters and the police in Sohar. There were conflicting accounts about the toll. Reuters, citing a local doctor, said six people had died Sunday. The state news agency said Sunday that two protesters had died but revised that to one on Monday.
On Sunday, protesters held banners demanding better pay, lower prices and the abolition of all taxes. They are also calling for an end to corruption and the trial of all ministers, residents said.
Shortly after the violence, Sultan Qaboos gave orders on Sunday to create 50,000 jobs, ONA reported. He also ordered that the equivalent of $386 a month be given to every job seeker.
Governments in several gulf countries have announced reforms and financial aid in recent days to try to curb public anger amid calls on social networking sites for demonstrations.
In Oman, protest organizers set up a Facebook page called “March 2 Uprising for Dignity and Freedom” to urge demonstrations across the country beginning Wednesday. It has attracted more than 2,300 users.
At the same time, some in Oman say that they were not challenging Sultan Qaboos’s rule but simply sought improved living conditions. “The Omanis love the Sultan and respect and consider him a father to them,” one Facebook commentator wrote.
Another said in a Facebook post: “We don’t live in fear. All we want are jobs, better salaries and economic reforms.”
