Muscat - Omani police fired rubber bullets at stone-throwing protesters demanding political reform on Sunday, killing two people, and demonstrators set government buildings and cars ablaze, witnesses said.
Hours after the violence, Oman's ruler, Sultan Qaboos, gave an order to create 50 000 jobs for citizens in the Gulf Arab state of 2.7 million people, 70 percent of whom are nationals. All detained protesters were later freed, state media said.
The trouble in the northeastern port of Sohar, Oman's main industrial centre, was a rare sign of discontent in the normally sleepy sultanate and followed a wave of pro-democracy protests across the Arab world.
Witnesses said more than 2 000 protesters had gathered for a second day in a square in Sohar demanding political reforms, more jobs and better pay before police tried to disperse them, first with teargas and batons and then rubber bullets.
“Two people have died after police fired rubber bullets into the crowd,” one witness told Reuters from Sohar. A third person was reported in critical condition after being shot.
Another witness said earlier police had used live ammunition, but that could not immediately be confirmed. Troops deployed in the area, but did not intervene, witnesses said.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said, trying to ease tensions in US ally Oman, reshuffled his cabinet on Saturday, a week after a small protest in the capital Muscat. He has ruled for four decades, exercising absolute power. Political parties are banned. - Reuters