The wave of protests that has spread through the Middle East since mid-December broke over Oman in late February, resulting in the death of at least one protester and destruction of property in Sohar. The February protests began with a peaceful demonstration in the ministries' district of the capital, Muscat, on Friday February 18th. It was dubbed the second "Green March", after a similar march in mid-January. Estimates for the number of protesters ranged from 300 to 800, larger than in January, but small in comparison with protests elsewhere in the region. Marchers carried placards and chanted slogans demanding an increase in the minimum wage in both private and public sectors, action on rising prices, further "Omanisation" of jobs, and more power for the Majlis al-Shura (Consultative Council, an elected advisory body). Significantly there were also placards of support for the sultan. The protesters signed a petition to the sultan asking him to address their grievances, which the official Oman News Agency later reported had been delivered. The march seems to have been organised at least partly on a dedicated page of the social networking site, Facebook.

A week later, on February 25th, demonstrators gathered after Friday prayers in Sohar, 200 km north-west of Muscat on the Batinah coast, and in the southern town of Salalah, 1,000 km from Muscat. In Sohar protesters gathered at the Globe Roundabout, on the main Muscat to UAE highway. By Saturday 26th the number of protesters had reached 1,500-2,000, and trucks had been commandeered to block the road, paralysing the most important route in the country. Graffiti was sprayed on the large globe sculpture after which the roundabout is named, and the police made a number of arrests. Overnight, riot police used tear gas to clear a small group of remaining protesters and reopen the road, but on the morning of Sunday 27th the protesters returned and marched on the nearby police station to demand the release of those arrested. A fuel tanker, the police station, the home of the wali (the local governor), and a number of police and government vehicles were set on fire and the Ministry of Manpower office ransacked. Riot police responded by opening fire with tear gas and rubber bullets, causing the death of at least one protester (the official death toll), although there have been claims that up to six people were killed and 35 people injured.

Later the same day, the sultan sent the minister for the Diwan of the Royal Court, Ali bin Hamoud al-Busaidi (the sultan's personal minister and a member of his extended family), to Sohar to meet the protesters and listen to their demands. According to an English-language newspaper, Muscat Daily, they included a minimum monthly salary for Omanis of OR500 (US$1,298), writing off loans, facilitating further bank loans, holding corrupt officials accountable, and bringing those responsible for the deaths and injuries of protesters to justice. That night a Lulu hypermarket, adjacent to the Globe Roundabout, was looted and gutted by fire. Even more worrying for the authorities, by the morning of Monday February 28th, the road to Sohar's flagship industrial port had been partly blockaded by a second group of demonstrators. A group of local residents organised a protest against the violence and damage to property. The authorities closed the border with the UAE at both Hatta and Wajajah, not least because the main road to Muscat was blocked. Overnight the army was sent in to regain control, but apparently with orders to avoid the use of force. A helicopter was used to drop tear gas to disperse the crowd at the Globe Roundabout but despite this, they returned. By Wednesday March 2nd an uneasy peace had broken out in the town, with the protesters peacefully controlling the Globe Roundabout, and directing traffic away from it. The authorities will no doubt be asking themselves why the protests turned violent in Sohar. Sohar is the largest town in Al Batinah, the most populous region of Oman. As elsewhere in the country, there are a large number of young people looking for jobs, and in Sohar many have had their expectations raised by the founding of a private university. There has been enormous investment in the town over the last ten years, with the creation of a port and associated industrial complex with an aluminium smelter as part of Oman's push to diversify its economy away from oil, and, ostensibly to create jobs for Omanis. In reality, many of the jobs, both skilled and unskilled have gone to expatriates whose numbers in the town have increased considerably over the last five years.

By contrast, the protest in Salalah outside the governor of Dhofar's office remained peaceful. Although their numbers were initially small and consisted largely of young men, over the coming days, numbers grew to about 100 including older men and, at one point, a group of lawyers. By March 2nd, there had been reports of unrest in the northern towns of Shinas, Al Buraymi, Yanqul, Al Khaburah and Ibri.