Western Sahara News

By Peter Kenworth In many North African and Arab countries, the demands for democracy and economic redistribution of the so-called “Arab Spring”, have sounded the loudest from the region’s youth. The press has covered the protests in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia closely. But further from the limelight, Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara has experienced its own “spring”. Especially young Saharawis (the indigenous population of Western Sahara) demand that the Western Saharan liberation front, Polisario, adopts a more confrontational line against Morocco. They also demand that young people should have more influence on Western Sahara’s exile government, that has operated from a refugee camp in the desert in neighboring Algeria for over 30 years. Some youths even talk about the possibility of a military solution to the conflict because they do not believe that the peaceful UN-mediated approach, that has been pursued since the 1991 ceasefire between Morocco and the Saharawis, has yielded any res

The European Parliament's trade committee today voted to recommend the EP give its consent to the inclusion of a new protocol on agriculture and fisheries in the EU-Morocco trade agreement. The Greens are opposed to the agreement - both because of concerns about the impact of free trade on small producers and because the agreement includes Western Sahara, in conflict with international law - prompting Green draftsman José Bové to vote against his own report, which was amended to recommend consent. After the vote,José Bové MEP urged the EP not to proceed and give its consent, stating: "This agreement is against the interest of small farmers on both sides of the Mediterranean. The proposed blanket liberalisation of trade will threaten the livelihoods of small producers in the absence of social and environmental safeguards. "There are also major legal and political problems with the inclusion of the non-self-governing territory Western Sahara in the agreement, which confli

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES Title I DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND RELATED AGENCY DEPARTMENT OF STATE MOROCCO. - Prior to the obligation of funds appropriated by this Act under the heading: “Foreign Military Financing Program” for assistance to Morocco, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations on steps being taken by the Government of Morocco to: (1) Respect the right of individuals to peacefully express their opinions regarding the status and future of the Western Sahara and to document violations of human rights; and (2) Provide unimpeded access to human rights organizations, journalists and representatives of foreign governments to the Western Sahara. (The full text of this bill is available at opencongress.org.) Layman’s explanation: The US has granted funds for many years to Morocco to support their military, as Morocco is a long-time friend of the US. Before future funds can be given to Morocco’s military by the US government,

Aryan minister of Agriculture, Miguel Cañete,  during a meeting  with the agrarian organizations. - EFE The agreement to liberalize the commerce of vegetables andvegetables between Morocco and the European Union is to a passage of being approved. Yesterday, the commission of Trade International of the European Parliament against gave its approval to the pact with 23 votes to favor and five, the last previous step to the definitive vote in the plenary session of the Camera. Agreement, that will benefit to the agricultural elites of the country where king Mohamed I SAW is one of the majors actors, includes the territory of the Sahara, an aspect that made be shipwrecked to the agreement of fishing between the EU and Rabat. The text counted on the vote against Pablo Zalba (PP), Helper Strap (PP) and Emilio Menéndez of the Valley (PSOE), delegated of two parties that in spite of the serious mutual reproaches have been united against the agreement. Minister of Agriculture, Miguel Arya

Hi all! So, our first meeting of term 2, in a brand new room (D/104) so now we all have lots of space! We began with a documentary titled “We are Saharawi” exploring the lives of the Saharawi refugee community in Algeria. The older generation having to adapt to a completely new life after being forced out of their own homeland of Western Sahara after a conflict with Morocco in 1975 when they claimed sovereignty and when the Moroccans build a 2,700km long wall blocking off the land from more than half of the Saharawi people. Now the Saharawi refugees live in camps where there are no real jobs, and many skills are wasted, they educate their children for when they can return to their homeland, if that time comes. Children as young as 10 often have to leave the camps and go to Spain, Cuba, etc. if they wish to continue their education. “We are Saharawi” Documentary link: http://www.documentary-film.net/search/watch.php?&ref=127 . After watching the documentary we discussed issues

exclusive By Rob Edwards Environment Editor Scottish fishing boats are under fire for trawling seas far from home for catches of tuna, shark, swordfish, mackerel and sardines. The Sunday Herald can reveal that at least five vessels registered in Scotland have been licensed to fish in the Indian Ocean and off the northwest African coast. Along with boats from elsewhere in Europe, they are facing criticisms that they are plundering foreign seas, damaging local fishing industries and threatening fish stocks. As fish stocks in European waters have declined, big fishing businesses have increasingly searched further afield for more lucrative and less depleted waters. Scottish fishermen, already in straitened circumstances, are also keen to exploit foreign waters to keep operating. According to a study for conservation group WWF, one-third of the world's oceans are heavily fished, 10 times more than in the 1950s. More than 700 vessels from European Union countries are fishing seas o

Dalila Henache Algeria and Morocco agree Tuesday in to boost bilateral cooperation in various fields and to give a fresh impetus to the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU). The agreement "will allow three ministers to visit the two countries next March to discuss the necessary ways to give new dynamism for bilateral relations in sensitive fields, especially energy and agriculture", Medelci said in a press statement. Medelci said that efforts were being made by Algeria and Morocco to foster a positive atmosphere that would enhance economic and social co-operation between the two countries. The Algerian official also said that the first visit would be by energy sector officials, to be followed by visits by officials in the agriculture, education, youth and sports sectors. Algeria was working with its "Moroccan friends and brothers" to create a suitable atmosphere in the Maghreb region, Medelci said. However, the minister did not address the issue of the countries' shared b