Demonstrations in Oman began over a lack of jobs and high levels of government corruption and were met with violence from state security forces, but also concessions from Sultan Qaboos bin Said. However, reforms were slow to manifest, leading to resurgent discontent in the spring of 2012, to which the sultan responded with a crackdown on critics. In early 2013, with trouble again on the horizon due to lingering unemployment, the sultan made further concessions and pardoned activists detained in the two preceding years.