Basra movement seeks Kuwait Envoy summons over missing fishermen
Shafaq News- Basra
The Popular Movement Against the Khor Abdullah Agreement* in Basra called on Monday for summoning Kuwait’s ambassador to Baghdad after reports that Kuwaiti forces opened fire on an Iraqi fishing boat and detained fishermen on board.
In a statement, the group, led by lawmaker Amer Abdul Jabbar, urged the Iraqi government to launch an official investigation into the incident, verify its circumstances, and take diplomatic and legal measures to protect Iraqi citizens.
Describing the reports as “another episode” of violations affecting Iraq’s sovereignty and the rights of its citizens in territorial waters, it criticized “the lack of an official response,” particularly from the Foreign Ministry, to similar incidents.
It also demanded the fishermen’s release and urged authorities to disclose the measures planned to protect Iraqi fishermen and guarantee their rights under international law and maritime agreements, warning it would resort to “all legal, constitutional, and peaceful means” if no concrete action is taken.
Earlier today, a security source told Shafaq News that five Iraqi fishermen from Al-Faw district in southern Basra lost contact after a Kuwaiti Coast Guard patrol fired upon their boat in Iraqi territorial waters. A similar incident was reported in May when the head of the Iraqi Fishermen Association in Basra said Kuwaiti authorities opened fire on Iraqi fishermen near buoy No. 11 in the Khor Abdullah area, injuring two.
*The Khor Abdullah agreement, signed by Iraq and Kuwait in 2012, regulates navigation and security in the shared waterway, Iraq’s only maritime access to the Gulf and a route linking key ports, including Umm Qasr and Grand Al-Faw, to international shipping. Rooted in UN Security Council Resolution 833 (1993), which defined post-Gulf War borders, the deal remains controversial in Iraq, especially after the Federal Supreme Court ruled its ratification unconstitutional in 2023, renewing debate over sovereignty, economic interests, and maritime rights.
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