Bahrain's curfew...the first in a Gulf capital

When the clock strikes 8:00 pm in Bahrain, silence mixed with caution pervades the capital Manama as the population tries to get accustomed to a state that is new in the Gulf region - a curfew.

As protests calling for the toppling of the monarchy swept Bahrain and with the intervention of the GCC troops to maintain order in the island-nation, curfew was imposed from 8:00 pm till 4:00 am for the first time in the Gulf region.

The spectacle of tanks and armored vehicles roaming the streets of a Gulf city is a cause of concern not only because it is unprecedented, but also because it raises speculations over whether an escalation could take place, especially in the light of the waves of rebellion sweeping the Arab world.

Maintaining curfew

The team of Al Arabiya ventured into the streets of Manama during curfew hours to observe the atmosphere in the city as its residents recoil to their houses and to record the procedures taken against those who violate the curfew.

Making sure the curfew is respected is basically the job of the Bahraini army and police, said Colonel Salman, leader of an armor regiment from Pearl Square, where the protests started and which is currently being renovated following sabotage.

“The GCC Peninsula Shield troops are not involved in maintaining the curfew,” he told Al Arabiya.

The army, he added, makes sure residents who unintentionally break the curfew are instructed in a peaceful and civilized manner.

The majority of Manama residents interviewed by Al Arabiya team expressed their relief at the security procedures taken by the government to restore calm after several days of unrest, yet many others wished life would go back to normal and considered the curfew a major obstacle in this regard.

The GCC Peninsula Shield troops are not involved in maintaining the curfew

Armor regiment leader Colonel Salman

Shiite objection

Imposing the curfew was met with resentment on the part of Shiites, who started the protests by calling for more rights, then ended up by demanding the fall of the regime.

When the decision to impose the curfew was issued Monday, shouts of objection echoed from the rooftops of predominantly-Shiite residential districts.

These shouts, heard on daily basis, aim at terrorizing the residents, according to army officers posted in neighborhoods with a majority Shiite population. However, they added, their objections do not exceed shouting from rooftops and none of them has so far broken the curfew.


(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid)