Bahrain protesters retake Pearl Square

Anti-government protesters in Bahrain have swarmed back into a symbolic square after putting riot police to flight.

The government said it had opened a dialogue with opposition groups demanding reform as Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa sought to ease tensions triggered by a wave of anti-government unrest sweeping the Middle East.

Crowds had approached Pearl Square in Manama from different directions, creating a standoff with riot police.

When police suddenly raced to their buses, protesters retook the square. Tents, removed two days ago by the army, have been set up again along with makeshift medical stations to treat any wounded.

The authorities have seemed determined to prevent protesters from turning Pearl Square into a base like Cairo's Tahrir Square, the heart of the revolt that ousted Egypt's Hosni Mubarak.

On orders from the crown prince, troops and armoured vehicles earlier withdrew from the square, which they had taken over on Thursday after riot police staged a night-time attack on a sit-in by protesters, killing four people and wounding 231.

The crowds in Pearl Square soon swelled into the tens of thousands, celebrating a triumph for the mostly Shia protesters who took to the streets on Monday, inspired by popular revolts that toppled leaders in Egypt and Tunisia.