Political and social crisis

Manama: Bahrain has been rocked by a political and social crisis, often along sectarian faults, since February 2011. Political solutions have been lacking amid concerns about the level of street violence and almost daily clashes between rioters and the police. Earlier this month, the police chief said that more than 700 policemen have been injured during operations since the beginning of the year.

Touring several majlises, Ramadan gatherings, Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa has emphasised the need to use the month of Ramadan to launch moves to end violence and start direct talks to overcome the crisis, the worst in Bahrain’s modern history.

The justice minister has held several individual meetings with the political formations in a bid to push for the dialogue. All groups said that they were ready for the dialogue, but put forward several conditions, denoting the depth of the challenges ahead.