Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
KILLING CLOUDS
Bahrain’s effort to buff its image.
MANAMA, Bahrain — The discovery of a protester’s body near the scene of clashes Saturday threatened to push Bahrain deeper into unrest as a 14- month- old uprising overshadows the return of the Formula One Grand Prix to the strategic Persian Gulf kingdom.
Bahrain’s Sunni rulers had pressed for the race to be held as a chance to rebuild their credibility on the world stage after it was called off last year as police and army troops cracked down on dissent.
Persistent protests, however, have left the monarchy struggling to keep attention on today’s Formula One race, Bahrain’s premier international event, as the country’s Shiite majority pressed ahead with a campaign to break the near-monopoly on power by the ruling Sunni dynasty, which has close ties to the West.
At least 50 people have died in the conflict since February 2011 in the longestrunning street battles of the Arab Spring.
Protesters again took their grievances to the streets nationwide Saturday after opposition groups said that a man was killed the day before during clashes with security forces. A statement by the Interior Ministry said the man who died was identified as Salah Abbas Habib Musa, 36.
“Down, Down Hamad” and “We don’t want Formula One,” the protesters shouted in reference to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Confrontations between police and anti-government protesters turned violent in the Shiite opposition stronghold of Diraz, northwest of Manama, the capital. Opposition supporters set tires ablaze, and riot police dispersed them with tear gas. No injuries were reported Saturday.
Musa’s body was found in an area where clashes broke out after a protest march Friday. Opposition factions said riot police and demonstrators were engaged in running skirmishes around Shakhura, a village about five miles west Manama that is known for burial mounds that date back more than 5,000 years.
Musa’s death threatened to sharply escalate tensions in the island nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Opposition leaders claimed Musa was targeted by the security forces because he was a prominent activist in the opposition’s February 14 movement, which has been the driving force of Bahrain’s Shiite revolt.
Authorities opened an investigation to defuse tensions. The Interior Ministry said the case was “being treated as a homicide.” It did not give a cause of death but said investigators found “a wound” on the left side of Musa’s body.
After the announcement, thousands marched on a main highway that leads out of the capital. The heavily guarded Bahrain International Circuit, where the Formula One teams have practiced ahead of the race, was about 20 miles from the demonstration.
Race drivers have mostly remained quiet about the controversy surrounding the race.
Asked about Musa’s death after taking pole position in Saturday’s qualifier, Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel said: “I think it’s always dreadful if someone dies.”
Bahrain’s monarchy is the main backer of the race, and the crown prince owns rights to the event.
YEMEN
In Yemen on Saturday, the military regained part of a strategic southern city after an intense battle with al-qaida militants killed 19 people as the government tries to purge the insurgents from their strongholds, officials said.
The battle in Zinjibar is part of attempts by the Yemeni government to regain parts of the country it lost to al-qaida militants who took advantage of last year’s uprising against longtime ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh to seize new ground.
Twelve militants and seven troops died and nearly 30 militants were injured during the battle with Yemeni forces, who took control of the eastern part of Zinjibar, military and medical officials said.
The militants buried their dead in the nearby town of Jaar and turned a kindergarten there into a field hospital to treat their injured, medical officials said. The school was also being used as a command center by the militants, the officials said.
EGYPT
Also on Saturday, the head of Egypt’s armed forces rejected accusations that the military is throwing its weight behind a candidate in next month’s presidential elections a day after thousands of people demonstrated against the ruling generals.
The statement from Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who leads the military council that has ruled Egypt since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster last year, came a day after tens of thousands of Egyptians packed Cairo’s Tahrir Square to denounce military rule. Protesters accused the generals of trying to manipulate the May 23 presidential vote.
Speaking at a military training exercise, Tantawi said the armed forces are focused on handing power to an elected civilian government, not on hanging on to power. He also insisted the military is not picking favorites in the presidential race.
“The armed forces stand at an equal distance from all the parties without taking sides at the expense of another party,” Tantawi was quoted as saying by the state news agency MENA. Information for this article was contributed from Manama, Bahrain, by Reem Khalifa; from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by Barbara Surk; and from Sana, Yemen, by Ahmed Al-haj of The Associated Press.