Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — The Saudi royal family is torn by increasing tension over the prospect of succession.

Arab diplomatic sources said dissension within the family’s 6,000 princes has reached a fever pitch as King Abdullah, believed to be 96, prepares for an imminent succession.

For the first time, the princes have expressed dissent in anonymous Twitter posts.

The sources said many of the princes were concerned that Abdullah would break with tradition by appointing his sons to key posts while marginalizing those of his half brothers.

“In the past, succession was always built on consensus, and that all branches of the royal family would retain significant representation,” a diplomat said. “This is no longer the case.”

The sources said the king’s latest appointments were designed to reduce the power of the sons of his late half-brother, Sultan.

The sources cited the dismissal of Deputy Defense Minister Prince Salman in May 2014 and the appointment of Abdullah’s son to become governor of Riyad, a traditional stepping stone for previous monarchs.

“The kingdom is facing a succession crisis that may be erupting into a
family feud,” U.S. analyst Simon Henderson told a House subcommittee on May
22.

The complaints focused on Abdullah’s
appointment of former intelligence chief Prince Muqrin to deputy prime
minister, expected to lead to eventual succession to Crown Prince Salman.
“He [Muqrin] was picked for this post because he is easily exploited,” a
Twitter account known as@mutjahidd said.

Saudi critics asserted that Muqrin’s mother was a Yemenite slave and
that the 69-year-old was incompetent. They also dismissed the unofficial
title given Muqrin, that of deputy crown prince, an idea attributed to Saudi royal
court director Khaled Tuwairji.

“The sinister acts and destructive tendencies of this person are the
cause,” Prince Saudi Bin Saif Al Nasser said in a Tweet.

The infighting within the royal family comes as Saudi Arabia pursued a
controversial reconciliation with Iran. The effort, approved by the king,
was said to have been opposed by the sons of Sultan and Nayef, long at odds
with Abdullah.

“The initiative basically places the future of Saudi Arabia in the hands
of its worst enemy,” a Saudi source said.

  King Abdullah, Prince Muqrin, Prince Nayef, Prince Salman, Saudi princes go public on twitter over succession anxiety