New reports from the eastern Saudi town of Awamiyah have revealed shocking conditions faced by civilians in a brutal operation by Saudi regime forces against Shiite Muslims in the region.
New reports from the eastern Saudi town of Awamiyah have revealed shocking conditions faced by civilians in a brutal operation by Saudi regime forces against Shiite Muslims in the region.
According to interviews conducted by Britain’s Independent newspaper, Awamiyah – a 400-year-old town in the eastern Qatif province home to around 30,000 people – has been surrounded by siege barricades put up by the security services since attempts to evict residents turned violent on 10 May.
Since then, the situation has rapidly deteriorated. Locals report at least 25 people have died in shelling and sniper fire, and pictures purportedly of streets covered in rubble and sewage look more like a scene from Syria than an oil-rich Persian Gulf city.
The Independent spoke to peaceful pro-Awamiyah activists now living outside the country – is of an untenable humanitarian situation.
