On 16 March 2025, demonstrators, including the February 14 Youth Coalition, blocked a road with burning tires in Al Diraz (Northern) as part of a demonstration in solidarity with the political prisoners.

Supply-chain Risk Briefing

1. Summary

A political prisoner solidarity protest occurred in Al Diraz, northern Bahrain, on March 16, 2025, but is assessed as a small-scale demonstration involving road blockades. On February 14, the Youth Coalition and others participated by blocking roads through tire burning, but this is classified as having limited impact with a 'low' rating.

2. Supply-chain impact

• Oil & gas transport: Bahrain serves as a Gulf region petroleum hub, and road blockades in the northern region could cause temporary logistics delays
• Port accessibility: Road blockades in the Al Diraz area pose potential short-term disruptions to cargo transport to Bahrain's major ports
• Financial services: Some constraints may occur in accessing northern commercial districts connected to the Bahrain International Financial Centre
• Regional spillover effects: Minimal impact on overland logistics networks within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with alternative routes available

3. Watch points

• Protest expansion: Need to monitor trends of protest expansion beyond Al Diraz to major commercial and port areas such as Manama
• Government response intensity: Monitoring required of Bahraini authorities' protest suppression levels and additional road control measures
• Follow-up developments on political prisoners: Progress on political prisoner issues, which serve as the protest rationale, will influence the possibility of future protest recurrence