KUWAIT: In a scene reminiscent of the cattle herds of the American wild west, Kuwait yesterday witnessed a great exodus of camels. From Jack Fairweather, in Kuwait.
The country's camel-drivers began taking their herds on the long road south to the Saudi border, following the announcement that two-thirds of Kuwait is to become an American military zone.
With US forces continuing their build-up for war against Iraq, an existing military zone along the border with Iraq has been extended to make room for the 150,000 soldiers expected by the end of the month.
It will cover several key ports where troops and equipment are unloading.
A Kuwaiti security official said, "This is a measure to allow Americans to continue their training exercises and afford them maximum safety."
However, for Kuwaiti camel-drivers, the new boundaries of the military zone, which come into force later this month, have meant an unwelcome return to nomadic existence.
Little of the desert of southern Kuwait remains due to oil installations.
The area of the country which stretches north from Kuwait city to its northern boundary with Iraq is the only grazing ground for camels in the winter months, when the desert briefly "blooms" with vegetation.
The camel-drivers have been left with no option but to start on the 200 km journey down to Saudi Arabia in an effort to find fresh pasture.
Abu Hamza, who, up until yesterday, led a happy pastoral existence in a little portacabin overseeing a herd of 70 camels, stood at the side of his pick-up truck watching the exodus.
Behind him construction work began on a breeze-block wall enclosing the military zone and his former home, where he had bred his camels for racing by wealthier Kuwaitis.
"A policeman came round yesterday telling us we had to pack up and move on.
"I don't care if Saddam is beaten by the Americans or not. All I care about is my camels," Hamza said.
"I have no idea if we will be able to enter Saudi Arabia but we must try. No one has warned us before now. It's very unfortunate."
A fellow camel-driver said, "We are without homes and maybe without jobs. This war has been a disaster already."
The current plight of the camel-drivers, largely made up of Bedouin tribesman and cheaply-hired Bangladeshi and Pakistani workers, has also highlighted the problems faced by this deprived and socially excluded section of Kuwaiti society.
A generation ago a journey to Saudi Arabia would have been a regular occurrence for nomadic tribesman, many of whom come from large clans in the centre of the Arabian peninsula.
But since the independence of Kuwait in 1961, and with the degradation of much of the desert due to the oil industry and rapid expansion of Kuwait City, Bedouins have found themselves trapped inside small corners of the country, living in tents and portacabins.
Furthermore the Kuwaiti government, which views Bedouins with distrust, has granted all but a few citizenship rights.
However, despite such treatment by the government, Hamza plans to return.
"We may be leaving now but we hope to come back soon. This is my home and I no longer like the old ways."