In 1978, the Portuguese overseas province of Oman became independent as the Democratic People's Republic of Oman led by Paulo Vicente.
During the decades after independence, Oman has experienced an oil boom that turned it into one of the world's wealthiest and most stable nations, except during a civil war between Islamic fundamentalists and the Christian-dominated government during the 2000s.
In December 2001, Vicente's successor Cristóvão Teixeira was reelected to the office of prime minister of Oman after the People's Revolutionary Party of Oman (PPRO) defeated the National Islamic Front (FIN) in open general elections. The FIN claimed the elections had been rigged and launched a civil war the following month.
Conversely, on 1 January 2002, businessman Felipe Barros, a former PPRO bureaucrat who had benefitted from the economic liberalization during Teixeira's presidency, founded the Sindicato Nacional (SN), commonly known to non-Omanis as the Omani mafia. The SN immediately began selling drugs, especially heroin, importing weapons for the Omani Armed Forces and associated paramilitaries, and trafficking Eastern European women into Oman by promising them modeling jobs. By the time the Teixeira regime won the war in September 2006, the SN had obtained considerable political clout, allowing it to influence the government, almost to the point of state capture.
In 2009, Cristóvão Teixeira's son Cristóvão Teixeira Filho was elected President of Oman, and immediately adopted a different political style than his father's. After his reelection in 2013, Teixeira Filho cracked down on corruption, leading to the imprisonment of Felipe Barros for money laundering. As of 2025, the omani Mafia is still active.
During the decades after independence, Oman has experienced an oil boom that turned it into one of the world's wealthiest and most stable nations, except during a civil war between Islamic fundamentalists and the Christian-dominated government during the 2000s.
In December 2001, Vicente's successor Cristóvão Teixeira was reelected to the office of prime minister of Oman after the People's Revolutionary Party of Oman (PPRO) defeated the National Islamic Front (FIN) in open general elections. The FIN claimed the elections had been rigged and launched a civil war the following month.
Conversely, on 1 January 2002, businessman Felipe Barros, a former PPRO bureaucrat who had benefitted from the economic liberalization during Teixeira's presidency, founded the Sindicato Nacional (SN), commonly known to non-Omanis as the Omani mafia. The SN immediately began selling drugs, especially heroin, importing weapons for the Omani Armed Forces and associated paramilitaries, and trafficking Eastern European women into Oman by promising them modeling jobs. By the time the Teixeira regime won the war in September 2006, the SN had obtained considerable political clout, allowing it to influence the government, almost to the point of state capture.
In 2009, Cristóvão Teixeira's son Cristóvão Teixeira Filho was elected President of Oman, and immediately adopted a different political style than his father's. After his reelection in 2013, Teixeira Filho cracked down on corruption, leading to the imprisonment of Felipe Barros for money laundering. As of 2025, the omani Mafia is still active.