Western Sahara News

On Friday, June 22, 2012, the occupation authorities have released Abdelmoutalib Sarir, a young Saharawi political prisoner. He had spent a month in the black prison on the charge of attack on apolice officer. On the occasion of the release of Abdelmoutalib, aged 26, his family and friends have organized a feast.In effect, for the family and friends, it is a known fact that this kind of accusation is brought by the police when they come upon resistance during their attacks on the Saharawi activists. In the morning, the occupation forces have surrounded the house of the family.The feast was held in the afternoon, during which slogans in favour of self-determination and independence of Sahara were shouted and the flag of the Saharawi Republic was lifted. After the reception, the guests left and some of them have been attacked by the Moroccan police. According to witnesses, the police raged against the journalists and activists. Hayat Rguibi, aged 23 and member of the EM team was with...

Saharawi of Algeria Saharawi refugees fled Western Sahara to neighboring Algeria after a Moroccan invasion followed the withdrawal of Spain, the colonial power, in 1975. They have largely had refugee status since that time, making the Saharawi story virtually unknown in the English-speaking world. The Saharawi are descendents of the original tribes in Western Sahara and Morocco. Ministry Obstacles The Saharawi live in areas that are very difficult for outsiders to access, and they have few Christian neighbors. Outreach Ideas Sustained prayer will be essential to provide the Gospel message to these people. The Jesus film and Gospel recordings could be offered via television and radio. Pray for the followers of Christ There may be a few believers among the Saharawi. Pray for them, and for the believers that will come later. Pray they will mature into real disciples of Jesus Christ, serving Him with a whole heart. Pray for the entire people group Pray the Saharawi will soon be ab...

NEW YORK-The UN committee on the situation with regard to the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Granting of Independence, or "Special Committee of 24", reviewed Friday at UN headquarters (New York) 16 issues of non-colonized territories including Western Sahara. During the review of the situation of the Sahrawi case, representative of South Africa Maniemagen Govender said that the Department of Legal Affairs of the UN had supported the request of the people of Western Sahara to exercise its right to self-determination. He then urged the Security Council to support the political process between the Polisario Front and Morocco in ensuring that the mandate of MINURSO (UN Mission for the organization of a referendum in Western Sahara) is respected around its three priorities. In this regard, he stressed that the priorities of the MINURSO consist in acting as an instrument of stability, implementation of a referendum and to provide independent information to the Unite...

FLORENCE (Italy) - Saharawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz reaffirmed Saturday in Florence the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence through the holding of a fair and transparent referendum in Western Sahara illegally occupied by Morocco. "As you know the question of Western Sahara issue is a clear and simple in that it is a problem of decolonization included in the UN agenda since 1965, its solution lies in the exercise by the Saharawi people of its inalienable right to self-determination freely and transparently," said Abdelaziz before the 2nd international conference on" Law, human Rights, Western Sahara between occupation and self-determination." "Since 2004, Morocco was constantly revealing its intentions to evade its international obligations by rejecting the referendum or any other solution that does not legitimize its illegal occupation of Western Sahara", he said, noting that "to date, the international community...

The Western Sahara had been suffering for more than 40 years. The Saharan people were the only ones who could decide their future, she stressed. There had been four rounds of formal those negotiations, although no progress on status had been made. The Saharan people needed the international community’s support. Cuba, with its few available resources, was committed to lending that support, in particular, in the area of education. She also called on Member States to offer study opportunities to students from Non-Self-Governing Territories. The Saharan people could always count on Cuba’s solidarity, she said MARIAELENA ANZOLA PADRON ( Venezuela) said that it also stood in solidarity with the people of Western Sahara, as they sought to exercise their right to self-determination, which must be respected. Venezuela recognized the Saharawi Democratic Republic, and with the help of the United Nations, the people of that country would be able to exercise their right to self-determinati...

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber of Germany as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ( MINURSO ). Mr. Weisbrod-Weber succeeds Hany Abdel-Aziz of Egypt, who completed his assignment on 30 April 2012. “The Secretary-General is grateful for his strong leadership and perseverance,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in news release. The spokesperson added that Mr. Weisbrod-Weber brings to the post 28 years of experience with the United Nations and a strong background in peacekeeping direction and management, both in headquarters and in field operations, such as with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) and the UN Mission in East Timor ( UNMIT ). UN News Centre , 15/06/2012

Prosecutors in Germany say police have arrested a man on suspicion of spying for Moroccan intelligence on supporters of the Polisario group, which seeks independence for the Western Sahara region. Federal prosecutors say the suspect, identified only as Mohammed B. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in Berlin on Wednesday. They said in a statement that police searched the man’s apartment as well as houses and offices of two other suspects. Prosecutors say the 56-year-old Moroccan-German dual national is suspected of having spied mostly on German-based members of Polisario. The group advocates independence for the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony taken over by Morocco in 1975. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Rue20 , 14/06/2012

A group of European Parliamentarians visited yesterday the town of Dakhla in occupied Western Sahara in the context of lobbying for continued EU fisheries in the territory that Morocco has illegally occupied. A Saharawi fisherman from Dakhla says European vessels, currently fishing in southern Western Sahara under non-European flags, were in a place called 'La Sarga', some 8 km out of Dakhla harbour, during the Parliamentarians' visit. The delegation is said to have only stayed at the port for 15 minutes, during which only Moroccan fishermen were allowed to enter the premises. From what Western Sahara Resource Watch has been told, the entire fleet of private industrial vessels was pulled out of the harbour before the MEPs' arrival to the port yesterday early afternoon. After the Parliamentarians had left town, the vessels returned. The video was filmed shortly after their return. Saharawi fishermen committees tried to meet with members of the delegation, but state t...

(2012-06-08) The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center) and the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA) are deeply concerned by the failure of the Moroccan government to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Sahrawi national Said Dambar (26) and by their refusal to inform his family of his whereabouts. Under Article 2 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Moroccan government has an obligation to investigate Mr. Dambar's death. Moreover, the right to know the fate and the whereabouts of relatives is widely recognized in international law and Morocco is a signatory on the International Convention on Disappeared Persons. Mr. Dambar was allegedly shot and killed by a Moroccan police officer on December 22, 2010. That day, the police came to Mr. Dambar's house in the middle of the night to tell his family that he had been beaten by a police officer and that they needed to see his...

RABAT - Twenty Sahrawi political prisoners kept at Sale jail, near Rabat in Morocco, since the dismantling of the Gdeim Izik protest camp by the Moroccan occupying forces in on 8 November 2010, began Friday hunger strike, according to a source close to their families. "The Sahrawi prisoners have started the hunger strike to demand their unconditioned release or setting the date for their trial before a civil court, and also to protest against their detention conditions and the deterioration of their health," said a member of the committee of Sahrawi prisoners’ families. The hunger strike aims at drawing attention of international community of the violation of their rights and their detention conditions, the source said, adding that "it is possible that it will become an unlimited hunger strike." Last May, the Moroccan human rights association (AMDH) called for rapid intervention for their release, as they have spent one year and four months in prison without tria...

The Polisario Front called on the United Nations to allow the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) protecting human rights in Western Sahara, said a statement issued following a Polisario National Secretariat meeting, chaired by its Secretary General Mohamed Abdelaziz. The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was established by Security Council resolution 690 of 29 April 1991 in accordance with settlement proposals accepted on 30 August 1988 by Morocco and the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra y de Río de Oro (Frente POLISARIO). It is the only UN mission without a component to survey and protect human rights.

Why was Western Sahara occupied by Morocco? My blunt claim is that the country was occupied because of the cold war, the area's rich amount of phosphates and King Hassan II's need to quell internal oppostion.  After Hassan II restricted parliamentary power with constitutional changes in 1970, there were two failed coups against his rule in 1971 and 1972, both led by army officers. After the second failed coup, the power of parliament was suspended (again) and several members of parliament and of the opposition were jailed or killed. Hassan II found himself in a situation where he needed to rearrange the army into royalistic control and quell internal opposition, and what better way to do so than to occupy Western Sahara?  With the occupation of Western Sahara, Morocco gained a nationalistic victory which gathered the nation symbolically, created more jobs and provided for a slight increase in living standards.  By doing this, international attention wa...

Senate Estimates: Conflict in the Western Sahara 07 Jun 2012 | Foreign Affairs / Human Rights Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee Estimates hearings 30 May 2012 Senator Bob Carr, Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Dennis Richardson, Departmental Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr Paul Robilliard, First Assistant Secretary, South and West Asia and Middle East Division Ms Deborah Stokes, First Assistant Secretary, International Organisations Branch Mr Paul Myler, Acting First Assistant Secretary, Europe Division Full transcript available here Senator RHIANNON: Morocco has announced officially that it will no longer cooperate with the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Western Sahara, Mr Christopher Ross. Does the government still support the efforts of Mr Ross and will it encourage Morocco to continue to cooperate with him to resolve the longstanding conflict in Western Sahara? Senator Bob Carr: Let me seek advic...

The “Equipe Media” firmly denounces the moroccan policy of intimidation in Western Sahara More than a hundred Saharawi participated in the burial of the Saharawi citizen who was killed in mysterious circumstances. On Tuesday, June 5, 2012, a funeral procession led by an ambulance driven by the so-called AbdelHaq Rabaii, officer of the general information service, left the hospital of El Aaiún toward the cemetery of “El Khaoui” to the East of the occupied city. The Intifada activists took the opportunity to honor the martyr, by wrapping up his body with a SADR flag; they also proclaimed slogans for the independence. Somewhere else, a young Saharawi was abducted on Tuesday night by a police patrol led by the so-called Ahmed Toaif. Mohamed Babir, aged 21, was abducted in the neighbourhood of Al A’aouda; according to his words, the policemen in civilian dress beat him in the car and blindfolded him with a fetid and used cloth; the investigators tortured him to obtai...

“What does Morocco mean to an Englishman?” George Orwell asked in one of his finer essays. “Camels, castles, palm-trees, Foreign Legionnaires, brass trays and bandits.” That was 1939. But whatever Morocco means to an Englishman today it probably isn’t "occupation, refugees, and landmines". Morocco is a standard tourist destination and is held up as a model for Arab and African development alike. It may, therefore, come as something of a shock to hear that Morocco is the only African country excluded from membership of the African Union (Madagascar, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau have all been "suspended" since 2009 and 2012 respectively). This is not something that sits well with King Mohammed VI or his new Government, and on Wednesday a diplomatic team in Rabat started Morocco’s latest push for membership. Kindly voices from the AU have also started to exercise their larynxes on the matter, such as prominent Tanzanian MP, Edward Lowassa Ngayai, who backed brin...

Canberra, June 05, 2012 (SPS) - the Australian Government stated that it would ask Morocco to seriously consider its decision not to cooperate with Mr Christopher Ross, the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy on the Western Sahara, during a hearing in the Australian Senate on Wednesday.$ In a response to a questions from Senator Lee Rhiannon, Mr Paul Robilliard, First Assistant Secretary, head of South and West Asia and Middle East Division in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said “The next round of informal talks are due to be held in June. We certainly hope that Morocco will continue that round of informal discussions with Mr Christopher Ross.” Responding to questions whether Australia supports the idea of the inclusion of human rights in the mandate of the UN mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Mr Robilliard said “We fully support that.”  During the hearing Mr. Robilliard said that the Australian “government's policy is that we do be...

BIR LAHLOU (liberated territories) - Saharawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz called on Saudi Arabia to intervene with Morocco to end the lasting conflict in Western Sahara and the sufferings of the Saharawi and Moroccan peoples, the Sahrawi news agency SPS reported Sunday. "Due to the deadlock caused by freezing of the negotiation process after the refusal by Morocco of the mediation of UN Secretary General Personal Envoy Christopher Ross, I address your Majesty to ask his Majesty king Mohamed VI to end the conflict and the sufferings of the Saharawi and Moroccan peoples, " President Abdelaziz said in a letter to the Saudi monarch king Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. He asked the Moroccan king to "start serious" negotiations with the Saharawi party on the basis of the charter signed by late King Hassan II with the Sahrawis on respect for the will of the Saharawi people to freely decide about their." "With this deadlock in the process of resolving th...

LONDON- A demonstration of solidarity to reaffirm the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination was held Saturday near the Embassy of Morocco in London. Several British associations supporting the Saharawi cause, like the Western Sahara Campaign, British students and artists supporting the struggle of the Saharawi people, took part in the rally. Activists of the Saharawi cause and human rights raised Saharawi flags and placards holding: "Morocco Out, Morocco murderer", "Where are the 651 Sahrawi prisoners?" "Stop torture "and" free Sahara." "England, land of human rights par excellence, as well as the international community is challenged by the question of Western Sahara where human rights are violated daily by the Moroccan occupation for decades," Ken Ritchie, president of the Western Sahara Campaign told APS during the rally. "The British Parliament should look at what is happening in Western Sahar...

By Malainin Lakahal The UN has adopted around hundred resolutions reaffirming the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination. Yet Sahrawis are still denied the legitimate and fundamental right to vote on the fate of their homeland. The West often portrays itself as the champion of democracy, rule of law and human rights. Yet, when we look at Western Sahara, the hypocrisy and dishonesty in such portrayals are laid bare. The story of Western Sahara - the plight of its people and their struggle for freedom - is willingly and deliberately ignored by Western powers and mainstream international media despite the fact that it is the last colony standing in the African continent. Western Sahara - bordered by Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Atlantic Ocean - first fell under Spanish rule in 1884, becoming a Spanish province in 1934. In 1975, the colonial master signed an illegal pact - known as the Madrid Agreement - with Morocco and Mauritania abandoning the North A...

After two weeks of his disappearance, the Moroccan authorities set up a farce to clarify the fate of Hamdi Etarfaoui, a young Saharawi of 36 years old. Hamdi Etarfaoui, a civil servant, worked in the Bachouia (under prefecture) of the occupied city of El Aaiún, and has disappeared immediately after a dinner organized under the supervision of the prefecture of El Aaiún; the invited people and among them two Moroccan ministers and the governor of El Aaiún were allegedly poisoned (according to Moroccan official version). Hamdi has spoken at this dinner and has accused the Moroccan ministers of corruption. This meeting has also been filmed by the local television. Since that time the family of Hamdi Tarfaoui sought for their son but all their attempts were in vain. Last Tuesday, May 22, the family organized a sit-in in front of the Bachouia (where Hamdi was working) and demanded that the fate of Hamdi be clarified. In the evening, the electricity was cut in the whole c...

April of this year marked the 21st anniversary since the UN Security Council accepted responsibility for trying to resolve the Western Sahara conflict through a referendum on self-determination. The referendum has never taken place, nor is it likely to ever happen. Nor, for that matter, is it likely that the conflict will be resolved through the mutually acceptable political solution that the Council has been asking for since April 2004. The Security Council adopted yet another resolution asking the parties, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front, which represents Western Saharans, to demonstrate the political will to work on the implementation of its resolutions, something that they have not done so far and giving them another year to continue with their posturing. And again, the Council failed to squarely address the question of human rights in the territory, other than to include a weak passage in the resolution ’s introduction stressing the “importance” of improving...