A Yemeni judo coach is claiming that he was blocked from entry to Kuwait due to his shared name with former Iraqi leader - Saddam Hussein.
Saddam Hussein bin Hazeb was planning to attend the Arab Judo Championships but was denied a Kuwaiti visa, in response to which the coach alleged that it was because of his name.
Kuwaiti media revealed on Wednesday however that Bin Hazeb’s rejection was because his passport had just 6 months before it expires, a universal requirement for the visa.
Kuwait’s Judo Federation treasurer Youssef Daly insisted that the claims were rejected because of his name and rebuked accusations that Bin Hazeb was fighting alongside the Houthi rebels, who ate currently enveloped in a conflict within the country.
The history of Kuwait and the former Iraqi leader is remains hostile.
Saddam Hussein invaded neighbouring Kuwait in 1990. Iraq claimed that Kuwait was legitimately Iraqi territory which had been artificially separated by the British empire.
Saddam’s forces were ousted from Kuwait after a US-led intervention. The Iraqi army set 600 Kuwaiti oil sites on fire as they retreated from the country.
The US subsequently imposed sanctions on Iraq which may have killed as many as 576,000 Iraqi children.
In 2003 the US led an invasion of Iraq proper, ultimately toppling Hussein.
