AnarWiki/markdown/Omani_Uprising_(2011).md

The **Omani Uprising** were a series of protests and strikes in
[Oman](Oman "wikilink") over cost of living, corruption, high
unemployment, low wages and a desire for greater democracy in
[2011](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_Western_Asia "wikilink"). It
was part of the [Arab Spring](Arab_Spring "wikilink") and a [wider
global wave of revolts from 2010 to
2014](Revolutions_of_2010_-_2014 "wikilink").

## Background

After decolonisation by the British Empire in 1962, Oman effectively
became an Islamic kingdom running off oil. The government heavily
restricted women's rights, civil liberties and democracy. Combined with
eventual economic stagnation with high unemployment and a rising cost of
living, the country was ripe for revolution.

## Events

The 17th of January march of about 200 Omanians occurred soon after the
[successful campaign in Tunisia](Tunisian_Revolution "wikilink") to
remove President Zine Al Abidine Bin Ali. This first action was held to
demonstrate against corruption in the government and the cost of food.
Police did not attempt to stop the march. On the 18th of February, after
unrest [increased in Bahrain](Bahraini_Uprising_\(2011\) "wikilink"),
350 people marched, this time demanding both an end to corruption and a
more fair distribution of oil revenue; these protesters did not directly
oppose the Sultan of Oman and [police](police "wikilink") again did not
attempt to stop the protest.

On the 26th of February, protests spread to Sohar, where 500
demonstrators [blockaded](Blockade "wikilink") a shopping mall. The next
day, the 27th of February, protesters forced the closure of the Earth
Roundabout to traffic by staging an occupation and blocking every access
point to the main junction in the industrial port city. This occupation
continued until the last day of strikes and protests. Protesters
elsewhere in Sohar, however, who had been cordoned off by security
forces, threw stones at police, who responded by using tear gas and
rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Witnesses report that two
protesters were killed but the state would later claim that only one
protester died. On the 28th of February in Sohar, protesters blockaded
the Port of Oman and looted and burned a market. Omani army soldiers and
tanks dispersed the blockade without opening fire. On the 1st of March
in Muscat, approximately 50 demonstrators held a sit-in at the
Consultative Assembly of Oman. The group grew to over 400 protesters.
This was a well-organized sit-in including a tent camp with separate
areas for men and women. A counter-protest was held the same day in
Muscat in support of the Sultan, although it is not entirely clear how
many of the demonstrators in that group were there voluntarily, as many
were government workers. Large motorcades also regularly drove through
the city in support of the government.

Meanwhile in Sohar, a vigil was held outside of a police station in
which two protesters were being held as the occupation and blockade of
the Globe Roundabout continued. On the 5th of March
[oil](Fossil_Fuels#Oil "wikilink") workers in Haima, a key oil region,
began a sit-in demanding more investment in the region. On the 6th of
March about 200 workers staged a protest at Oman Air in Muscat. They
demanded a wage increase. Some workers called in sick, while others
refused to work after arriving at their offices. One hundred protesters
arrived outside the airline’s headquarters to protest in solidarity with
the Oman Air workers. Walkouts and protests also occurred daily at Oman
International Bank, Oman Investment Finance Company, and Muscat’s
government-owned Intercontinental Hotel. The staff of Oman International
Bank and Oman Investment and Finance Company staged a walkout in the
morning and stood in silent protest in front of their offices. They
wanted higher pay and additional overtime. Demonstrations spread
throughout Muscat and then to the towns of Sur, Salalah, and Al Buraimi.

Two days later workers went on strike at Bank Muscat and succeeded in
obtaining concessions and an increased salary on 13 March. On the 15th
of March the oil workers at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) went on
strike to demand higher wages. 400 workers protested and held up
placards outside of PDO headquarters in Muscat. Protesters also stopped
work for several hours at the Marmul oil field and the Karn Al Alam gas
field. On the 16th of March the oil and gas workers' protests and work
stoppages continued. On the 17th of March over 1,000 strikers went from
unit to unit at Rusayl Industrial Estate and forced all of its 150 units
to stop their work. They demanded a 300-rial minimum wage, five-day work
weeks, and Eid holidays off from work. Protesters also blockaded access
to the estate with objects they had brought. The protests stopped
production as well as transport of goods in and out of the estate.
Security personnel from Oman's Security and Safety Services also blocked
the main Sultan Qaboos Highway opposite the Muscat International Airport
in a protest of their own. Students at Sohar College blocked expatriate
teaching staff from entering the premises and demanded lower passing
grades.

On the 20th of March about 200 workers at two oil refineries went on
strike to demand higher wages. Protesters at the refineries stated that
they wanted higher pay, better pension, training, regular promotions,
and more Omanis in the management team. On the 28th of March mass media
reported that dozens of youths had been holding a daily vigil throughout
the course of the strikes in a square near the offices of Oman's
Consultative Council. Protesters also camped out nightly in front of the
parliament building in Muscat, outside the governor's office in Salalah,
and in Sohar. On the 30th of March police used tear gas, rubber bullets,
and baton beatings to clear about 100 protesters from the blockaded
roundabouts in Sohar. Police made arrests of 57 protesters. The next
day, hundred of people took to the streets, some beginning a sit-in, in
protest of the arrests and police brutality. The police responded again
with violence, though the Omani government claimed they were acting in
self-defense against knife- or stone-wielding protesters, killing one
protester, injuring several others, and arresting as many as a hundred
more. On the 3rd of April, Government authorities released the detained
protesters after questioning..

Scattered protests continued throughout the country, but the most
significant action occurred in Salalah, where, on the 6th of May,
hundreds of protesters took to the streets and bolstered protest camps.
Large protests had occurred in Salalah every Friday after prayer for
four weeks. On the 12th May, police cleared a camp, arresting as many as
a hundred protesters. On the 13th of May and into the 14th May, police
and army forces used baton beatings and tear gas to disperse and arrest
many of the remaining protesters.

## Results

Although the uprising failed to secure [representative
democracy](Representative_Democracy "wikilink") in Oman, it did trigger
economic reforms such as:

  - Increasing job creation and unemployment relief programs
  - Wage increases and infrastructure upgrades
  - Decentralisation of some government functions, reducing corruption
  - Doubling of state pensions
  - The creation of a second public university
  - Creating the first Islamic bank

## References

[Wikipedia](Wikipedia "wikilink") - [2011 Omani
protests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Omani_protests)

[Global Nonviolent Action
Database](Global_Nonviolent_Action_Database "wikilink") - [Omanis make
economic gains, press for
democracy 2011](https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/omanis-make-economic-gains-press-democracy-2011-0)