Qatif conflict

Qatif conflict
	Part of the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, Anti-Shia discrimination in Saudi Arabia, Arab Spring and the Shia-Sunni conflict
	; Map of Saudi Arabia, with Eastern Province (including Qatif region) highlighted.
Date	26 November 1979 – present; (46 years, 3 months and 3 weeks)
Location	Qatif and Awamiyah, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
Status	Ongoing low-intensity conflict; violence ceased
Belligerents
Saudi Arabian Government Saudi Arabian National Guard; Presidency of State Security; Saudi Police;	Iran-backed Shia militants (1980s–1990s) Organization for the Islamic Revolution in the Arabian Peninsula (1979–91); Hezbollah Al-Hejaz (1987–present; mostly inactive since 1990s); Saudi Shia civilians
Casualties and losses
80+ killed ; 300+ wounded	350+ killed ; 760+ wounded ; Thousands arrested; 182–219 killed (by 1983)
	750+ civilians killed (activists' claim); Thousands of civilians displaced

The Qatif conflict is a modern phase of sectarian tensions and violence in Eastern Arabia between Arab Shia Muslims and the Arab Sunni majority, which has ruled Saudi Arabia since early 20th century. The conflict encompasses civil unrest which has been sporadically happened since the 1979 uprising, pro-democracy and pro-human rights protests and occasional armed incidents, which increased in 2017 as part of the 2017–20 Qatif unrest.