On the 33rd anniversary of the vicious invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces on 2 August 1990, the country remembers with overwhelming pride and utmost gratitude the efforts and sacrifices made by the blessed martyrs who paid the ultimate price with their lives to defend Kuwait and resist the aggression. On this painful occasion, the country also reminisces with esteem the righteous stance of Kuwaiti people in rallying behind the country’s legitimate government and leadership, and in the honorable position of countries around the world in support of Kuwait and its just cause.
As yet another invasion anniversary comes to pass, we flip back through the pages of history and reminisce with gratitude the efforts of Kuwait’s sagacious leadership and government to garner support of the international community to help end the occupation, liberate the country, and to have its legitimacy and territorial integrity reinstated. We also look back with immense pride at how, during the dark days and months of the heinous occupation, a handful of ordinary people rose to extraordinary heights through their compassion and the selfless services they rendered to ensure the safety, security, and welfare of their compatriots.
The steadfast support of Kuwaiti people to the legitimate leadership, and their resolute efforts to resist and repeal the occupation, and to restore the country’s sovereignty and its independence, is a history etched in the collective consciousness of the nation. Despite the disproportionate strength of forces arrayed against them, and the surety of instant reprisals, arrests and torture, as well as the very real risk of being maimed or killed by the occupiers, citizens and their supporters within the country demonstrated against the aggression through acts of civil disobedience, protests, and other displays of defiance to the occupation.
Although the grassroots resistance movement that grew within the country had no clearly defined structure, organization or leadership, the members were driven by a yearning to have their freedom and liberty restored, and they were guided in this by their staunch belief in the justice of their cause. Though they possessed only limited resources, the resistance proved quite effective in deploying tactics that thwarted attempts by the Iraqi forces to move personnel and supplies undeterred around the country. The resistance also undermined many of the nefarious schemes and policies launched by the occupying forces.
At a time when there were no mobile phones or social media platforms, and the landline telephone conversations were believed to be closely monitored by the occupation forces, the only means of communication among groups of activists and resistance fighters was to meet clandestinely in mosques or other predetermined sites to plot strategies and tactics to resist the occupation.
Additionally, with local dailies compelled to stop publication, the main source of information about the atrocities committed by the occupation forces were through audio cassettes and pamphlets photocopied or printed on home computers and distributed secretively by activists. These pamphlets also provided people with guidelines on protecting themselves and their families from potential chemical or biological attacks, while communication with the outside world was largely limited to ham radio signals.
Meanwhile, citizens living outside the country and Kuwaiti institutions with offices located abroad, along with human rights organizations and proponents of freedom everywhere made their voices heard through demonstrations and public events organized in world capitals and cities around the globe.The late amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who was then the country’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister played a pivotal role during the occupation by mobilizing Arab and international support to Kuwait’s legitimacy.
As Kuwait’s chief diplomat since 1963, Sheikh Sabah had managed to establish strong ties within the UN, its affiliate organizations, and among member states. His efforts on behalf of the nation proved fruitful, as he managed to gain the world’s support for ousting the aggressors, liberating Kuwait and restoring the nation’s legitimacy and sovereignty..
Last week, while elaborating on the role of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) in garnering global support for Kuwait during the harrowing months of occupation, the current acting Director-General of KFAED Walid Al-Bahar said that the unprecedented global consensus in support of Kuwait’s just demand to reinstate its sovereignty and territorial integrity owes a lot to the farsighted foreign policies enacted by Kuwait since the country’s independence in 1961.
He noted that the KFAED, more widely known simply as Kuwait Fund, which was established in the same year that the country gained independence, has since its inception served as the foreign ministry’s financial arm by providing grants and low-interest loans to developing countries around the world. He added that a main objective of establishing the Kuwait Fund was to consolidate the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Kuwait and the rest of world countries.
Al-Bahar pointed out that the goodwill generated over the decades through the Kuwait Fund’s support for development projects in countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania was manifested during the occupation, through the widespread support that Kuwait gained in international fora, and at the United Nations. Every resolution passed at the United Nations Security Council on the invasion and occupation of Kuwait by Iraq, starting with UN Resolution 660 and ending with Resolution 678 passed by the Security Council over a period from 2 August to 29 November 1990, received overwhelming support from the international community.
The widespread support for Resolution 660 — which condemned the Iraqi invasion and demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Iraqi forces from Kuwait — and the unanimous support for Resolution 678 — which gave Iraq until 15 January 1991 to withdraw from Kuwait, besides empowering states to use “all necessary means” to force Iraq out of Kuwait after the deadline — were testaments to the successful foreign policies of Kuwait and the astuteness of its diplomats in world capitals over the years.
The collective message and unequivocal message of Kuwaitis everywhere, whether in the country or abroad, was one of no compromise, no negotiations, and no cession of the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial sanctity. The heinous aggression on Kuwait was brought to an end only on 26 February 1991, when an UN-sanctioned and US-led international coalition force threw out the occupiers and restored Kuwait’s freedom and its sovereignty.
In the days following the invasion, and confronted by the ruthless power of the occupying forces, Kuwait’s leadership and people from all sections of society came together as one to thwart the aggression and roll back the occupation. They demonstrated a remarkable display of unity in their opposition to the invasion and occupation, and to the existential threat this posed to the survival of their nation, and to their very identity as Kuwaitis.
The then Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, his Crown Prince and Prime Minister Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sahah embarked on tireless diplomatic campaigns to rally Arab and international support and solidarity for Kuwait’s just cause for freedom and sovereignty.
The Iraqi occupation of Kuwait was condemned from day one by the majority of Arab states, who also contributed significant military personnel and resources to the formation of the international military coalition to liberate Kuwait. Fellow members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states also opened their doors to welcome Kuwaitis displaced by the occupation and extended all support to them.
The GCC states also consolidated their response to the invasion under the banner of ‘attacking and occupying any GCC nation was tantamount to an attack on all six members of the Council’.
The GCC states also provided the springboard for the ensuing political and diplomatic efforts against the unlawful occupation, and as the staging ground for the subsequent military operations to counter and rollback the Iraqi aggression and remove its mechanisms to inflict harm on neighboring countries. Operation Desert Storm, which was launched to liberate Kuwait under UN mandate, followed Iraq’s refusal to comply with UN Resolution 678.
While Iraq had promised a ‘mother of all battles’ if foreign forces attempted to dislodge it from Kuwait, in reality the entire Iraqi army crumpled in the face of the devastating firepower and advanced tactics employed by the international coalition led by the United States, and comprising forces from more than 30 countries. The ground operations that began on 17 February 1991 culminated in the routing of the Iraqi forces and the liberation of Kuwait on 26 February in a span of less than 10 days.
The vanquished Iraqi forces in an act of spiteful malice set ablaze around 725 oil wells and spewed oil into the pristine waters of the Arabian Gulf, contaminating the air, land and marine environment in and around Kuwait.
Last week, Kuwait marked yet another anniversary of the brutal invasion and ensuant seven-month-long occupation by the Iraqi forces with several commemorative events held around the country. Speaking on the occasion, the Director-General of the Martyr’s Office, Salah Al-Awfan, underscored the importance of commemorating the Iraqi aggression to reiterate and honor the sacrifices made by the martyrs in defending the homeland and resisting the occupation.
August 2 is also of great significance as it reawakens memories among people who lived-through the horrors and atrocities of the seven-month long occupation, and reminds them of the need to be on eternal vigil against any threats to the country’s integrity in future. In addition, the day helps raise awareness among the new generation of Kuwaitis that the freedom and liberty that they enjoy and take for granted today, was achieved at a great cost and sacrifice by their forebears. The day serves as a reminder of the martyrs who paid the ultimate price with their lives to preserve the country’s cherished values and principles, and to ensure that its freedom and its status as an independent nation flourished undeterred.
It is quite laudatory that several exhibitions organized by the Martyr’s Office to mark the distressful occasion witnessed a large turnout by citizens, residents and visitors. The exhibitions, which were held in shopping malls and public spaces, including at the Avenues Mall, 360 Mall, Al-Kout, Al-Assima, Al-Hamra and Al-Khairan complexes, as well as at Al-Shaheed Park and Terminal 1 of Kuwait International Airport, commemorated the sacrifices made by 1,317 martyrs from Kuwait and 14 other nations.
The images of martyrs displayed at the exhibitions recalled with pride their heroic efforts to defend Kuwait, resist the occupation, and ensure the freedom of the country flourished unfettered.. The exhibitions also depicted the courageous role of the 92 Kuwaiti women martyrs in resisting the aggressors and the sacrifices they made during the invasion and occupation. The invasion anniversary and events held to commemorate it each year help to preserve and spread the memory of the invasion and the heroic role of the martyrs in countering the occupation, as well as inculcate the values of citizenship and loyalty among Kuwaitis everywhere.