Middle East 709
Fatalities: 1–25 deaths
Narrative: Forces from South Yemen and Oman engaged in a firefight across the
border. Eight Yemeni soldiers were killed, and two Omani border guards were killed.
According to a senior official, the incident was quickly contained and presented no
threat to relations between the two countries.
Coding changes: Participant changed: This case was originally coded as involving
North Yemen, but the disputant was actually South Yemen.
692 BAHRAIN/694 QATAR
MID#2572
Dispute Number: 2572
Date(s): April 26, 1986 to June 15, 1986
Participants: 694 Qatar/692 Bahrain
Outcome (and Settlement): Compromise (Negotiated)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: The Fasht al Dibal dispute was a maritime-border dispute with implications
for possession of potential oil reserves under the seabed. Fasht al Dibal is an islet in
the Hawar Islands between Bahrain and Qatar. Possession of the Hawar Islands was in
dispute since 1938, when Bahrain lay claim to the islands to explore for oil. In 1939
the British Political Resident asked Qatar and Bahrain for written proof of ownership
of Hawar. Bahrain, with the help of its British advisor, submitted numerous documents,
while Qatar protested the legitimacy of the process and claimed lack of legal exper-
tise. The Political Resident subsequently ruled that the islands belonged to Bahrain,
although Qatar did not recognize the decision.
In 1982 Qatar protested when Bahrain named a warship the Hawar; with Gulf
Cooperation Council help Bahrain and Qatar agreed not to escalate the dispute. In 1986
Bahrain hired a Dutch company to build a coast-guard station on Fasht al Dibal without
Qatari approval. The dispute became militarized on April 26, 1986, when Qatar landed
troops on the islet and detained about 30 employees (including British, Dutch, Thai,
and Filipinos). The next day Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd sent his minister of defense,
Prince Sultan ibn Abdel Aziz, to mediate. Qatar released the employees on May 12,
but Bahrain accused Qatar of continued violations of Bahrainian airspace. On the 19th,
Saudi Arabia announced that Bahrain and Qatar had agreed to settle the dispute peace-
fully and that Qatar had further agreed to withdraw its troops from Fasht al Dibal.
On June 15, Qatar withdrew its troops, bringing this dispute to an end, although the
maritime border remained an issue. On July 8, 1991, Qatar referred the case to the
International Court of Justice(ICJ), and on March 16, 2001, the ICJ, among other deci-
sions, awarded Fasht al Dibal to Qatar.