MANAMA: Three hardline Bahraini Shia Muslim groups said on Tuesday they had joined together with the goal of bringing down the Bahraini Gulf Arab monarchy and setting up a republic.
The move by the three Shia groups is likely to be seen by the ruling Sunni al-Khalifa family as an escalation and raises the chances of a renewed security crackdown against mainly Shia protesters.
The new movement, made up of groups much smaller than the main opposition group Wefaq, widens a split within the broader Shia opposition movement that is demanding more representation and better access to jobs within the system.
“This tripartite coalition adopts the choice of bringing down the existing regime in Bahrain and the establishment of a democratic republican system,” the three groups said in a joint statement.
