United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday strongly condemned a bomb explosion that killed at least three policemen in a village west of Bahrain’s capital city of Manama a day earlier.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said three policemen were killed by a remotely detonated bomb during an anti-government protest in the village of Daih.
One of the three law enforcement officials killed in the blast was a police officer from the United Arab Emirates. He was serving in a Gulf Cooperation Council force operating in the island kingdom, according to the UAE state news agency WAM.
In a statement issued by his spokesman on Tuesday, the UN chief conveyed his sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims and the Government of Bahrain.
“Such acts of violence cannot be justified by any cause,” said the statement.
“The Secretary-General strongly believes that a genuine and all-inclusive political dialogue is the only way forward,” it added. “He urges all Bahrainis to come together to create a conducive environment for promoting reconciliation.”
Shiite-led pro-democracy protests had broken out in Bahrain in February 2011 as a fallout of the ‘Arab Spring’ that saw the toppling of entrenched rulers in North Africa and the Middle East.
The Bahraini government suppressed the unrest with the help of troops from other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries. Some 35 protesters were killed in the crackdown and many of the detained opposition activists were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Nevertheless, the tiny island nation continues to witness frequent protests staged by the opposition and the Shiite majority, who have long been complaining about discrimination. They are demanding greater political rights and want the Sunni monarchy to hand over most of its powers to an elected Parliament.
More than 80 people have been killed in Bahrain since February 2011. Notably, developments in the strategic island nation is of particular concern to Washington as the oil-rich Kingdom is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
by RTT Staff Writer
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