March 17 (Reuters) - Here are details of some of the rebellions, protests and rallies against authoritarian leaders which have deposed the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt and are now also having an impact on the oil-rich Gulf region.
* BAHRAIN: -- Bahrain arrested at least six opposition leaders on Thursday, a day after its crackdown on protests by the Shi'ite Muslim majority drew rare U.S. criticism and raised fears of a regional conflict.
-- Bahraini forces backed by helicopters cleared protesters off the streets on Wednesday, including from the camp at Pearl roundabout that had become the symbol of an uprising by the Shi'ite Muslim majority. The military also banned all protests and imposed a curfew across a large swathe of Manama.
-- At least three policemen and three protesters died in the clashes a day after the ruling Sunni family declared martial law and two days after troops from Saudi Arabia and police from the United Arab Emirates arrived in the Gulf state.
-- Thousands of protesters had marched to the Saudi embassy on March 15, protesting against the arrival of Saudi troops.
-- Bahrain's crown prince had warned all sides on March 7 against escalating a standoff with disgruntled Shi'ites seeking an elected government in the Gulf Arab kingdom, asking for patience ahead of a national dialogue.
-- Tensions turned to clashes between Sunnis and Shi'ites in Bahrain on March 3, the first direct confrontation between the two communities since February's large scale protests.
-- Seven people were killed in clashes with security forces in last month's protests when police tried to clear the Pearl roundabout, a busy traffic intersection in Manama's financial district.
* LIBYA: -- Libyan government soldiers battled rebels on Thursday on the road to the insurgent stronghold of Benghazi - likely to be the decisive battle in the insurrection - as the United States raised the possibility of air strikes to stop Muammar Gaddafi's forces.
-- The advance on Benghazi was hampered by clashes around Ajbadiyah, a strategic town on the coastal highway.
-- Gaddafi's forces used tanks and artillery on Wednesday in an attempt to retake the city of Misrata, about 200 km (130 miles) east of the capital Tripoli, the last big rebel stronghold in western Libya, residents said. Rebel fighters in the city said they had stalled a ground attack and seized some tanks from pro-Gaddafi units.
-- Gaddafi said on Lebanon's LBC TV he did not expect a battle in Benghazi because Libyan people have been helping get rid of "al Qaeda" elements there, repeating his claim that the rebels are linked to the Islamist militant group. -- Libya has tipped into a political vacuum since the uprising against Gaddafi erupted on Feb. 17.
* SYRIA - Human rights group Amnesty International condemned a violent crackdown by Syrian security forces against a peaceful protest held in Damascus by people calling for the release of political prisoners.
-- Security forces wielding batons dispersed 150 demonstrators who had gathered in the centre of Damascus on Wednesday in the most serious protest against Syria's ruling hierarchy since revolts spread in the Arab world. The gathering in Marjeh square had been silent, with protesters raising pictures of imprisoned relatives and friends, before security forces started hitting them with their batons. Witnesses told the rights group at least 30 people were arrested.
* YEMEN: -- One person was killed and at least 200 wounded when Yemen security forces attacked protesters in the Red Sea city of Hudaida with live and rubber bullets, tear gas, clubs and daggers, a doctor who treated victims said. The weeks of clashes across the country between government loyalists and protesters have killed at least 35 people.
-- Yemen has been hit by weeks of protests against the 32-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Both pro- and anti-government factions appear to have increasingly resorted to violence in the struggle.
-- Thousands had protested on March 11, marking what they called the "Friday of no return", drawing record crowds in Sanaa to show Saleh his reform offers would not soften their demand for his immediate departure.
-- Saleh offered a new constitution on March 10 and has pledged to step down in 2013 and reform parliamentary election laws. But he has refused his critics' main demand to quit immediately.
* IRAQ: -- Followers of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrated in Baghdad and Basra on Wednesday in support of mainly Shi'ite demonstrators in Bahrain, denouncing intervention by Saudi troops. Iraq, like Bahrain, has a Shi'ite majority that complained about decades of oppression under a ruling class of Sunni Muslims who dominate throughout the Arab world.
-- Iraq has seen its own demonstrations in Baghdad and other cities, but in recent weeks they had not taken on a sectarian character and have mainly focused on complaints about basic services and corruption.
-- Hundreds of Iraqis protested against the government on March 7 in a "Day of Regret" on the anniversary of an election that resulted in a second term for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite Muslim.
SAUDI ARABIA: -- Police flooded the streets of the Saudi capital Riyadh on March 11 to deter a planned day of demonstrations.
-- However, more than 200 protesters rallied in the city of Hofuf, which is close to the eastern Ghawar oil field and major refinery installations. The city has seen scattered protests by minority Shi'ites, who complain of discrimination at the hands of the country's dominant Sunni majority.
-- Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on March 9 that dialogue, not protest, was the best way to bring about change in Saudi Arabia.
-- In a sign that Riyadh was keen to address brewing discontent, King Abdullah unveiled benefits for Saudis worth about ${esc.dollar}37 billion last month when he returned from three months of medical treatment abroad.
* OMAN: -- Protesters pressed for political and labour demands on Tuesday across the Gulf state of Oman, where a string of concessions from veteran ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said have failed to bring unrest to an end.
-- Several hundreds workers at the state oil firm Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) staged protests on Tuesday at company headquarters and two oil and gas fields, demanding higher wages.
-- Qaboos, in power for 40 years, decided to cede some legislative powers to the partially elected Oman Council, which is so far only an advisory body. At present, only the sultan and his cabinet can legislate.
-- Oman carried out a third government reshuffle in a month on March 7 in a concession aimed at appeasing protesters demanding jobs and political reforms in the Gulf Arab sultanate.
* EGYPT: -- President Hosni Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11 following 18 days of mass protests centred around Cairo's Tahrir Square. Demonstrators have continued to stage protests to ensure the new military rulers carry out promises of reform.
-- Egypt's new prime minister, Essam Sharaf, visited Tahrir Square on March 4, where he told thousands of protesters that he will work to meet their demands.
-- Egypt will hold a referendum on reforms to its constitution on March 19, the government said.
TUNISIA: -- A Tunisian court ruled on March 9 that the party of former President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali would be dissolved, triggering street celebrations as one of the last vestiges of the ousted leader's era was dismantled.
-- Ben Ali was toppled by mass protests on Jan. 14 after 23 years of autocratic rule and fled to Saudi Arabia. (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit;) For an interactive factbox on protests in the Middle East and Africa, click on http://link.reuters.com/puk87r For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/))
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