1D54D74C4B788B01A39CE8E6899019C7 Omanis stage rare protests demanding jobs and end to corruption -->
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Omanis stage rare protests demanding jobs and end to corruption

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Low oil prices and COVID-19 drove up unemployment in calm Oman

Screenshot from a video shared on Twitter, showing one of the protests in Oman. Demonstrators carried signs and chanted in demand of jobs and better living conditions.

Groups of protesters have rallied in a number of cities in Oman over several days late May, demanding jobs and better living conditions, and showing a rare display of dissent in the Gulf country, which is the first for its new ruler, Sultan Haitham.

Amidst low oil prices, and COVID-19 weighing on the Gulf state's coffers, Oman's hydrocarbon-dependent economy suffered a double blow, shrinking by 6.4 percent last year, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Thousands of Omani workers faced loss of jobs or reductions in salaries under COVID-19, prompting the Ministry of Labour to hold negotiations with dozens of employees to undo the damage, but many still suffered. Unemployment in Oman is around 20 percent among youth who account for nearly half the Omani population of roughly 2.7 million people.

This drove Omani protesters, from Sohar in the north through to Salalah in the south, to take to the streets since Sunday May 23, chanting demands that are similar to ones made in rallies a decade ago, when Oman lived its own small version of the so-called Arab Spring.

Protests took place in the cities of Ibri, Nizwa, Rustaq and Sur as well, according to social media posts.

While rallies on Sunday and Monday were met with heavy security presence and police firing tear gas and arresting demonstrators, Tuesday's marches were peaceful, with social media posts showing images of police officers distributing water bottles among protesters braving the summer heat.

Protests continued in the sultanate through to Friday, with demonstrators occasionally causing damage to public property, and arrests happening.

The protests are the first for Sultan Haitham, who rose to the helm in January 2020 following the death of his cousin, long-term ruler Sultan Qaboos. Along with the throne, he inherited economic challenges that make Oman one of the most vulnerable economies in the Gulf. As with the 2011 protests, and unlike the millions of other Arabs across the region who took to the streets back then, Omanis’ calls are not for a political and economic makeover, but rather for jobs and an end to corruption.

While richer Gulf countries stepped in in 2011 with generous aid packages to Oman to alleviate living conditions and placate the Omanis, it remains unclear whether similar support will be provided now, as Muscat's political views have put it at odds with its neighbours, who are also grappling with their own economic strain.

In response to security forces’ dispersal of the protests, Gulf Centre for Human Rights and (GCHR) Omani Association for Human Rights (OAHR) urged the authorities in a joint statement “to respect freedom of expression and assembly”, adding that “the authorities attempted to restrict the media from reporting about demonstrations.”

The two human rights groups said:

The Omani government should immediately end the policy of silencing and restricting public freedoms, including freedom of peaceful protest and freedom of the press. The authorities in Oman must respect public freedoms, including freedom of expression and opinion, on and off the Internet. The security forces must fulfill their duties to protect citizens, not to oppress them, while they peacefully demand their civil and human rights

Citing reliable sources, the two groups said that a number of protesters were arrested on May 23 and there whereabouts remained unknown after a crowd that gathered in front of the General Directorate of Labour in Sohar was surrounded by large security forces on foot and in cars.

Watch: The arrest of some protesters who were laid off their jobs and those seeking employment, and threats via text messages against filming or documenting these events.

Hashtag #الحريه_لعبدالعزيز_البلوشي, or #Freedom_to_Abdulaziz_AlBalushi was heavily used in support of a protester whose speech went viral.

Social media users reported that Abdulaziz was released days later.

According to the two organisations:

Reliable sources in Oman stated that a strongly worded circular was issued by higher authorities to all media outlets, including daily newspapers, not to address the issue of peaceful assembly in Sohar, Dhofar, Salalah and the rest of the Omani regions, otherwise permits will be withdrawn. The authorities were forced to backtrack on this decision later after many international media reported on these events.

Since then, reports on social media have confirmed the release of most of those who were taken in.

The last of the stands in Oman's city of Salalah, in Dhofar province, came to an end, with several participants being arrested early Friday, and most of them released at a later hour. Authorities questioned a number of demonstrators near Ceremonies Square this afternoon, according to their families’ testimonies.

The state's response to people's demands was quick. On Tuesday, Oman's official website reported:

His Majesty the Sultan – may God protect him – gave his generous directions to the relevant authorities to quickly implement the job-offering initiative by employing more than (32) thirty two thousand job opportunities during this year

The following day, the official news agency reported that the ministries of defence and labour, based on the Sultan's instructions, are ready to receive job applications.

However, some Omanis casted doubt that the jobs created would be enough. Commenting on job ads made by the Omani military, a Twitter user wrote:

Within 12 hours of opening the registration:
Diploma holders only!
No more than 25 years old!
Males only!
(More than 17 thousands applicants!)
Imagine what is the real number of job seekers!
Imagine how many will actually be accepted!
Do you see the scale of the struggle, Minister of Labour?

Another tweet said:

Written by Dahlia Kholaif



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