DUBAI, UAE - The Moroccan government is requesting compensation from Iraq for Moroccan farmers forced to leave the country during the Gulf Wars, according to documents exchanged between Moroccan parliament members and officials.

According to the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Iraqi government, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, has responded positively to the request.

The two nations have agreed to establish a joint committee to review the compensation claims of Moroccan farmers who were displaced after the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and the First Gulf War in 1991, the Moroccan government announced this week.

In 1981, Iraq and Morocco signed a formal agreement to send Moroccan farmers and their families to Iraq to support land restoration efforts. The deal granted each Moroccan farmer ten hectares of land to cultivate, along with a four-room house, exemption from water charges, and the potential to own the property after 10 years.

The farmers were also allowed to transfer half of their agricultural income back to Morocco.

However, following the outbreak of war with Iran and later the 1991 conflict after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the farmers were compelled to leave Iraq as their work and land were severely impacted. Many are now seeking compensation for the losses they incurred, as outlined in their employment agreements.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said the country raised the issue with Iraq's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs after reopening its embassy in Baghdad in January 2023. The subject was also discussed during the 50th session of the Arab Labor Conference held in Baghdad earlier this year.

“The Iraqi authorities responded positively and proposed forming a joint Moroccan-Iraqi committee to address the issue,” Bourita said in a statement. He added that Morocco has already formed its side of the committee and has urged Iraq to do the same to expedite the process.

Bourita also noted that Morocco’s foreign ministry has held multiple meetings with representatives of Moroccan farmers' associations, listening to their demands for reparations and seeking Iraqi cooperation to address their claims.

The case has been pushed in the Moroccan parliament by MP Abdellah Bouanou, who highlighted “the suffering of hundreds of Moroccan farmers who were sent to Iraq during the 1980s.”