On 16 March 2025, a number of detainees released as part of the issued royal pardon staged a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Housing in Manama (Capital) to demand their rights to obtain housing services.

Supply-chain Risk Briefing

1) Summary In Manama, the capital of Bahrain, prisoners released through a royal pardon on March 16 held peaceful demonstrations in front of the Ministry of Housing, demanding the provision of housing services. As this is currently classified as a small-scale peaceful protest, direct threats to supply chains remain limited.

2) Supply-chain impact

• Financial hub stability: Manama is a major financial center in the Gulf region, and sustained expansion of protests could potentially dampen foreign investment sentiment
• Port operations: While Bahrain is an important logistics hub connected to Saudi Arabia by land, the current protest location does not affect port and airport operations
• Energy sector: Bahrain's oil and gas production facilities are located outside the capital, maintaining physical distance from the current protests
• Regional spillover: Need to monitor potential chain reactions of social unrest across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries

3) Watch points

• Whether protest scale expands and spreads to other regions, trends in changing government response levels
• Conditions of access routes to Manama International Airport and Khalifa Port, continuity of normal operations in major economic zones