A house damaged by clashes in Awamiyah, eastern Saudi Arabia, on Sunday evening

Clashes between security forces and residents in Awamiyah on Sunday evening. In this video, you can see tyres burning in the road and hear the firing of automatic weapons

Street battles raged for hours on Sunday between Saudi security forces and locals in the town of Awamiyah, a hotbed of Shiite activism in the country’s east. According to one of our Observers, the authorities are cracking down on Shiites, who represent a minority in the area, in an attempt to stop them from organising protests over Saudi Arabia’s military operation against Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen. The consequences of global tensions between Sunni and Shiite countries, he says, are now exacerbating divisions at home.A policeman was killed in Sunday’s clashes, and injuries were reported on both sides. According to a statement from the interior ministry, four militants were arrested during a security raid on Awamiyah aimed at dealing with “terrorist elements” there. They also seized weapons and “communication devices”. The statement said that five people, including three officers, were injured and taken to a hospital. Local residents, however, say that over a dozen residents were wounded.Awamiyah is located in the eastern Qatif region, which is home to the kingdom’s Shiite minority and the scene of frequent anti-government protests since March 2011. Shiites represent just 10 percent of the country’s total population. They are considered heretics by the country’s Sunni leaders, and are marginalised on multiple levels: religious, economic, and political.