Iraq and Kuwait address missing persons and property at UN Security Council

During a UN Security Council session regarding the implementation of Resolution 2792 (2025), Iraq and Kuwait addressed the ongoing humanitarian issue of missing persons and property following the 1990 invasion. Iraq’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Luqman al-Faili, reaffirmed Baghdad’s commitment to cooperating with Kuwait, the UN, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to locate missing individuals and return Kuwaiti documents and property.

Kuwaiti officials expressed concern over the lack of progress, noting that 315 individuals—including 308 Kuwaiti nationals—remain missing. Ambassador Rabie al-Adasani highlighted that delays in interviewing witnesses and following through on previous commitments hinder the search. Mari Yamashita, the Senior Representative of the Secretary-General, warned that the international community is “running out of time” as witnesses become harder to locate.

Efforts are currently focused on the Khamisiyah site, where excavations of 14,000 trenches suggest the remains of 150 to 180 missing persons may be located. Additionally, the recovery of the Kuwaiti national archives remains a priority for both nations.