The Wire

Roughly 1,000 Saudi troops have crossed the long bridge that joins Saudi Arabia to Bahrain. The ruling royal Sunni family- the Al- Khalifa – requested help from the Gulf Co-Operation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait… to quell the protests that have been going since February. The United Arab Emirates have also sent in a small contingent of armed forces. Most of the protestors are from the Shia majority, who are calling for political reform and who see the Saudi presence as an invading force. Many fear that the intervention will increase tensions within the country, and result in bloodshed.