Western Sahara News

On August 4 Washington think tank the Atlantic Council held a presentation to publicize the release of “its new Issue in Focus report, ‘ Morocco’s Emergence as a Gateway to Businessin Africa ’ … coauthored by Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham and Senior Fellow Ricardo René Larémont. “Moderated by Dr. Pham, panelists included H.E. Moulay Hafid Elalamy, minister of industry, trade, investment, and the digital economy for the Kingdom of Morocco; Mohamed El Kettani, chairman and CEO of Attijariwafa Bank; Karim Hajji, CEO of the Casablanca Stock Exchange; Nabil Habayeb, GE’s president and CEO of Middle East, North Africa and Turkey; H.E. Moustapha Ben Barka, minister of industry and propaganda investment promotion for the Republic of Mali. Despite the impressive economic star power here, the event amounted to little more than a Moroccan propaganda love fest and the Pham/Laremont report’s conclusion that Morocco provides a potential solution” for African “corruption, burdensome and

 Answer given by Vice-President  Mogherini on behalf of the Commission The EU is closely following the situation of human rights in Morocco and Western Sahara, including through its contacts with civil society organisations, human rights defenders, the National Council of Human Rights (CNDH) and its regional offices. The EU has specifically enquired about the situation of Mohamed Daoudi. The EU has been informed that members of the regional office of Tan Tan-Guelmin payed him a visit on 8 October 2016. According to our information, on the same day Mohamed Daoudi was taken to the hospital where his health situation is being monitored. In the context of its political dialogue with the Moroccan authorities, the EU consistently expresses its concerns about alleged cases of ill-treatment and impunity. Political dialogue goes in parallel with the important support provided by the EU through its financial cooperation to public institutions and civil society to reform the justi

January 22, 2017 (SSB ) —- In recent time the King of Morocco has been giving away a lot of money as seen in the following instances— on October 20, 2016, WIKILEAKS leaks that the Moroccan King Promises $12 Million Dollars to meet with Hillary Clinton. The above WIKILEAKS followed the report on Oct 18, 2016 of the visit by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to African countries, which was said to be the first of its kind since coronation in 1999. The visit followed a lengthy letter to African Union (AU) summit in Rwanda in which King Mohammed VI of Morocco declared his country’s intention to become a member of the union after the long time break with the body. After that letter, the Moroccan monarch planned and started touring some countries in Africa. These countries include: Nigeria, Zambia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and then now he is expected to visit South Sudan. The first country to be visited by the King of Morocco was Rwanda where he signed 19 agreement

This week’s working visit to South Africa by President Brahim Ghali of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is significant as it comes at a critical time when we marked the 40th anniversary of the proclamation of the SADR, founded in 1976, and the continuing illegal occupation of Western Sahara by the Kingdom of Morocco. South Africa has maintained a principled position on the right to self-determination for the Saharawi people as enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Charter and the African Union (AU) Constitutive Act. We have also intensified our solidarity with the Polisario Front liberation movement, as they lead the people of Western Sahara in their quest for peace and independence. By MAITE NKOANA-MASHABANE, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation. President Ghali’s upcoming visit strongly signals South Africa’s unwavering commitment towards the right to self-determination of the Saharawi people. The visit also aims to further strengthen and consolid

Yohannes Woldemariam The next African Union summit will be on January 31, 2017 in Addis Ababa, where Morocco is hoping to achieve its sinister agenda against Western Sahara, Africa’s last colony. The honourable thing for the AU is to rebuff Morocco’s arm-twisting and vigorously support the self-determination of the Saharawi people. Morocco is currently courting a number of African countries relentlessly, including Madagascar, Tanzania, Rwanda, and others. Morocco has signed 19 economic agreements with Rwanda and 22 with Tanzania—two countries that traditionally backed Western Sahara’s quest for decolonization. Nigeria and Morocco have signed a total of 21 bilateral agreements, a joint venture to construct a gas pipeline that will connect the two nations as well as some other African countries to Europe. It is easily clear that the economic agreements with these countries imply ulterior motives for increasing Morocco’s leverage in its campaign to return to the African Union

Jewish couple killed in Casablanca The Moroccan government is trying to hide its notorious plight with terrorism to preserve the position of Morocco as a preferred destination for European tourists. The Moroccan authorities claimed the attacks were carried out by people affected by mental illness. However, these recursive attacks against tourists continue to multiply and it is increasingly clear that they are executed in the name of Islam.  On October 4th 2016, a Dutch and two children on a visit to Casablanca were stabbed by a Moroccan while visiting the Hassan II Mosque. The video of the assault filmed by a witness went viral on social media networks imperiling the myth of Morocco as a holiday destination for European tourists. An assault that was met with total silence from the authorities, who not only imposed a blackout in the local press, but also begged discretion from Dutch consular authorities. Jewish couple murdered in Casablanca  The same attitude of the Morocca

The iconic singer, actress, activist, Cynthia Basinet, best known for the most popular version of "Santa Baby" returns to the United Nation for the 10th occasion to defend Western Sahara people's rights. Basinet has worked to draw attention to the plight of the Sahrawi refugees of Western Sahara living since 40 years, in camps southern of Algeria waiting for their right to selfdetermination.  In May 2001, she visited these camps in solidarity with the sahrawi people. Last October 5, 2016, speaking in a meeting of the United Nations Fourth Committee (also known as the Special Political and Decolonization Committee), Nobel Peace Prize nominee and social change activist, Cynthia Basinet warned that 16 years into a new century, the international community could "ill afford the cost of the voiceless". The World could not flourish if societies were alienated, she said, adding that "our enemies are those whom we alienate and not embrace, for they, too,

The tricky relationship between the EU and Morocco is set to become more fractious, after an influential legal opinion delivered to a Brussels court declared that the disputed territory of Western Sahara is not part of Morocco. In a statement issued on September 13, Melchior Wathelet, an advocate general at the Court of Justice in Brussels, said that “Western Sahara is not part of Moroccan territory and therefore … neither the EU-Morocco Association Agreement, nor the Liberalisation Agreement are applicable to it.”  Advocates general provide independent legal opinions to judges at the Court of Justice. These opinions are advisory and non-binding but are often influential. The opinion is the latest step in an ongoing case which caused a serious rift between Brussels and Morocco last year. In December 2016, the Court of Justice ruled that a four-year-old deal between the EU and Morocco covering trade in agricultural and fishery products (also known as the Liberalisation Agreement)

Did you know many African countries continue to pay colonial tax to France since their independence till today! When Sékou Touré of Guinea decided in 1958 to get out of french colonial empire, and opted for the country independence, the french colonial elite in Paris got so furious, and in a historic act of fury the french administration in Guinea destroyed everything in the country which represented what they called the benefits from french colonization. Three thousand French left the country, taking all their property and destroying anything that which could not be moved: schools, nurseries, public administration buildings were crumbled; cars, books, medicine, research institute instruments, tractors were crushed and sabotaged; horses, cows in the farms were killed, and food in warehouses were burned or poisoned. The purpose of this outrageous act was to send a clear message to all other colonies that the consequences for rejecting France would be very high. Slowly