Saudi Arabian Civil War

The Saudi Arabian Civil War (SACW) also known as "The War of Arab Freedom" and "The Saudi Arabian Islamic Revolution" was a war between loyalists to the Saudi Royal family and rebels associated with the Ummah Al Khalifah movement. The war involved several outside parties including a US led coalition on the side of the loyalists and Iran on the side of the revolutionaries. The war officially lasted from April 12th, 2014, to December 29th, 2014, ending shortly after the Ash Sharqiyah nuclear incident on December 22nd.

Background
With the domino effect of the Ummah Al Khalifah movement destabilizing nations around the Middle East, it was a matter of time before the idea of revolution hit Saudi Arabia. Young activists cried for political reform in Saudi Arabia, demanding the Saudi Royal Family yield power to an elected representative legislature. The Saudi Royal Family refused to turn over power, and instead, met the protests and riots with police action. As riots continued to gain support, martial law was declared in many of the major cities including Mecca, Medina, and even the capital Riyadh. From March 22nd to April 8th, at least 45 civilians were reported killed, while 8 Saudi police officers were killed by rioting.

Saudi Arabia's actions drew criticism on April 9th, when they denied protesters access to the holy Mosque at Mecca. The clash between the Saudi Police and the protesters turned violent, and a firefight began, first outside of the Mosque, but eventually moving onto the sacred grounds of the Mosque itself. The Saudi Arabian National Guard was called in to assist the Police, and for the first time in recent history, the sacred Mosque was closed, and access to the Ka'aba was denied to pilgrims. In the crossfire, 37 Saudi Policemen and National Guardsmen were killed, along with 112 protesters and 13 pilgrims from various nations including one American Muslim.

The leaders of the Ummah Al Khalifah movement seized upon this incident and rallied the diverse Saudi protesters to a declaration of Jihad against the Saudi Royal Family. In the days leading up to April 12th, almost a full third of the Saudi population declared their allegiance to the revolutionary movement, and took up arms. The political division was so deep that many Saudi military units lost cohesion due to dereliction and infighting among the ranks. Rebel aligned military personnel coordinated to seize military assets such as tanks and aircraft.

With only scattered military response possible, the Saudi government declared a state of emergency as they attempted a containment campaign. The disorganized military was unable to prevent the capture of several key cities.

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