Do you know who I am?
I am a Sahrawi. The land to which I refer is what is known today as the non-self-governing territory ofWestern Sahara. My country was colonized by the Spanish and the French between 1884 and 1975, divided in two and occupied by Moroccan and Mauritanian forces thereafter, and has been ruled exclusively by the Kingdom of Morocco from 1979 until the present.
this is one part of the Arab Spring that western governments don't want to talk about. And their silence, and the UN's complicity in it, is why that repression continues, and a terrible injustice is perpetuated.
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
it has emerged that the single biggest beneficiary of the deal will be the King of Morocco, who is head of one of the three largest agricultural producers in the north African country and lays claim to 12,000 hectares of the nation's most fertile farmland.
Oblivion it seems is the current reality for the arid North African territory of Western Sahara; often referred to as Africa’s ‘Last Colony’. In my opinion, it would be more accurate to describe it as ‘Africa’s Forgotten Colony’.
Stability in the occupied Western Sahara could hinge on the EU's fisheries agreement with Morocco
Sahrawi women soldiers on parade in the liberated territories of Western Sahara. Photograph: Mohamed Messara/EPA
North-west Africa is on the brink of war. The situation is the worst in almost 20 years. The EU has the opportunity to influence the development towards a peaceful direction.
Western Sahara is Africa's last colony, occupied by Morocco since the 1970s. The occupation has no basis in international law. The international court of justice has heard the case and rejected Morocco's claim to the country, while reaffirming the inalienable right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination.
In the beginning, the Sahrawis resisted the occupation with arms – the right of occupied peoples – but in 1991 a ceasefire was signed with a promise by the international community that a referendum would be held where the Sahrawis would be able to decide if they wanted to be independent or integrated into the occupying country, Morocco. Since then, numerous attempts have been made to implement the referendum, but Morocco has sabotaged all of them.
About 160,000 Sahrawis live in refugee camps in south-western Algeria, in the middle of the Sahara desert. Access to food and water is scarce. Sahrawi people in the occupied territories and those displaced to Morocco are living in fear. Moroccan authorities threaten, imprison and torture those who assert Western Sahara's right to independence.
Almost 20 years after the international community's promise, Western Sahara is still occupied. Patience among Sahrawis is running out.
The Polisario Front, the Sahrawi liberation organisation, is recognised by the United Nations as the sole and legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, and is working through diplomatic means for an independent Western Sahara. The Olof Palme International Centre has long provided support for the Polisario Front and the Sahrawi people, for example, training women in the refugee camps in civilian occupations.
It was once the case that the Sahrawis were happy to abide by the ceasefire; but that is no longer the case. After nearly 20 years of occupation, people have begun to tire of false promises and of waiting. There is more and more talk of resuming the armed struggle. Our estimation is that a majority of the people want the Polisario Front to reconsider taking up arms. It both hurts and worries us. In our roles, we have consistently advocated peaceful solutions and diplomatic methods.
It is with great sadness that we see that the Sahrawis no longer believe in the possibility of restoring their country through peaceful means. At the same time, we understand the dejection that the Sahrawis feel.
The EU has a unique opportunity to influence the situation. The EU was formed to safeguard peace by increasing the inter-governmental exchanges based on respect for democracy, human rights and international law. But now, the EU is on the verge of contributing to the war in north Africa.
This year will see negotiations on the renewal of the EU fisheries agreement with Morocco. The agreement provides significant revenue to Morocco and allows fishing in the waters of the occupied Western Sahara. It therefore contravenes international law, since the rich catches are not made accessible to the Sahrawi people.
That was why Sweden voted against the agreement in 2006. But since then, more actors have called for attention to the agreement. The European parliament's legal experts have established that the agreement is illegal and must be changed. Hans Corell, the former UN undersecretary-general for legal affairs, has held that the fishing agreement is contrary to international law.
If the EU renews the fisheries agreement with Morocco as it is, the consequences could be catastrophic. The Sahrawi people are already disappointed with the EU, but many still hope that it will stand on the side of international law and exclude the occupied areas from the fisheries agreement. If that happens, it may well help to give Sahrawis a signal that the world has not forgotten them, and to show Morocco that the EU does not accept the occupation of Western Sahara.
However, if the occupied territories remain included in the agreement, the consequence could be war. The war will be a source of extreme instability in the region.
Therefore it is of utmost importance that Catherine Ashton, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European commission, act immediately. She and the union should:
1. Exclude the occupied Sahrawi areas from the fisheries agreement.
2. Require that Morocco cooperate with the UN and the Polisario Front, and implement the agreed referendum on self-determination for the Sahrawi people.
3. Follow the example of South Africa and over 80 other countries: recognise and establish diplomatic relations with the Saharawi Republic.
The Spanish president, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, is having a tough time. No, on this occasion it is not the economy. Actually, it's something far removed from our everyday concerns; it couldn't be more far removed, in fact: the desert. Protests in the Morocco-occupied (and former Spanish colony) Western Sahara have been met with a violent clampdown, but the Spanish government has so far resisted calls to issue a condemnation. The government says it knows little of what's going on there, and that's true, since Morocco is detaining and expelling foreign journalists from the area. The government keeps saying it has to consider Spain's higher interest, but the Spanish public is outraged. To an outside observer, this level of anger over a seemingly faraway land may seem excessive. And it is, in a way. The Western Sahara is one of Spain's secret passions.
It all began with a lie. It was precisely 35 years ago, in November 1975. Back then Morocco pre-empted the referendum that should have led to an independent Western Sahara, in keeping with UN resolutions. The Sahrawi, whose flag sports the same colours as the Palestinians, counted on Spain's protection. But in a clever move, King Hassan II of Morocco sent over the militarised border hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians (the green march) to force Spain either to back down or cause a massacre. Gandhi's book annotated by Milosevic. The timing was perfect: Spain's dictator, General Franco, was terminally ill, only days away from his death. In his last cabinet meeting, he had electrodes attached to his chest and a team of doctors was monitoring his heart from a nearby room. The electrocardiogram showed the precise moment in which the Sahara was mentioned. The pain the dying general felt was nothing compared to what the Sahrawi were about to feel – for in that cabinet meeting it was decided to hand the Western Sahara to Morocco.
In truth, it was all a sham. A pro-Morocco lobby had been at work in Madrid for years, preparing to circumvent the UN resolutions. Henry Kissinger had given his green light to the march and France didn't want a free Western Sahara, either. Both feared an independent country could become a base for revolutionary Algeria or even the USSR. To make it more embarrassing, the whole thing was presided over by King Juan Carlos, then a prince filling in for Franco as head of state. The truth was too shameful, so Spaniards were told a lie: Spain had been duped, we were told, betrayed by Morocco. We did our best, it could have been war.
Since then, this lie has evolved into a dichotomy between what people feel on this issue and what the governments that represent them do. Successive governments keep paying lip service to the rights of the Sahrawi people while going about their business with Morocco and slowly eroding those rights. At the same time, thousands of Sahrawi children have been hosted by Spanish families, and Spanish film stars and NGO activists have been hosted at the refugee camp in Tindouf, where they show their support and stage the hottest film festival in the world. There is no more powerful emotion than love except guilt, and when it comes to the Sahara both are intertwined in the Spanish collective psyche. The Sahrawi cause is the only thing that has ever united left and right in this country of fraternal hatreds: the right wing sees it as a matter of honour, the left as a matter of justice. No wonder people are angry at the government.
What has changed this time is that Spain has been awoken abruptly from a comfortable dream and is just discovering at last that it was no more than desert mirage. For a whole country to learn at once what political cynical analysts have always known is a true shock. No, Spain is not the gallant defender of an oppressed people but an active poacher of their riches. No, the UN will not keep its promise of a referendum in exchange for the ceasefire the Sahrawi have been holding for 20 years. Yes, the Sahrawi made a mistake and lost all their negotiating power. Peace processes are not always what they seem. And yes, if they go back to war now, they will be described as terrorists. It's only too fitting that everything that begins with a lie should end in a lie.
CYBER-ACTION AGAINST THE GENOCIDE IN WESTERN SAHARA (the last colony in Africa)
This action is a powerful tool to put pressure on our representatives in the European Parliament so they make a clear stand for justice and Human Rights. (In this very moment I am writing this email, 1.878 citizens have send their message to our representatives, which means that a total of 93.978 messages have been delivered to the European Parliament. Messages are going up every minute!!). It is very simple, the links explains it clearly. Anyone from any country can take part (then select any country e.i, UK) Let’s do our bit (only a few minutes of our life!), to act against the “total inaction” of the International Community, the Spanish Government, the French, etc… In Western Sahara, so far there are:
More than 4500 INJUREDMore than 2000 DETAINED More than 100 DEATHS
Since last week, saharaui people are still being persecuted, beaten up and tortured by the occupation army and by the colonial groups (that have been armed and given green light to do what they please by the Moroccan government). Saharaui houses and commerce’s have been ransack and their cars set alight…. Morocco still denied access to any international media!! That is sickening!!
Saharaui people have stand 35 years of Human Rights abuses and have been totally forgotten in the Refuge Camps in the middle of the dessert. Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara since 1975 is totally illegal by international law. The UN has given the reason to the saharaui people, butFrance and the US have vetoed any progress for decades!! Spain still is the “administrative power” of the territory so it has the historical and the legal responsibility towards the saharaui people… But instead of taking an active role in helping to sort out the conflict, it sells weapons to Morocco(very cheap) and burry their heads in the sand. – Who the hell is the Spanish government thinking Morocco is going to use the weapons against?? Many other countries don’t do much to end the conflict because they have economical an strategic interests in the area (for them money is more important than people).
But many other countries such as the spanish people stand on the side of Human Rights. Around 100.000 people protest last Saturday in Madridfor justice and support of Western Sahara people!!
For all of my saharaui and innocent people, I beg you to take part in this cyber-action. Let’s STOP THIS GENOCIDE!!!
مكسيكي وإسبانية يعيشون الحصار بالعيون المحتلة ويؤكدون أن ما يجري هناك "هو تصفية عرقية" (مع فيديو أسفل الخبر)
15/11/2010
نشرت جريدة "إيلموندو" الإسبانية الواسعة الإنتشار، في عددها ليوم الأحد، خبرا مفاده أن المراقبين إيسابيل تيراثا (اسبانية) وأنطونيو فالاسكيز (مكسيكي) لا زالوا يعانون من الحصار والترهيب لأيام بمدينة العيون، قد أكدا أن ما يجري هناك "هو تصفية عرقية" ضد الصحراويين.
وكان المراقبان الدوليان قد نجحا في التسلل لمدينة العيون المحتلة، ووصلا رفقة مراقبين آخرين للدخول لمخيم "اكديم إيزيك"، وساهما في نقل حقيقة ما جرى هناك، بعد أن حضرا فصول جريمة قوات الإحتلال ضد المواطنين الصحراويين العزل يوم الإثنين 8 نوفمبر الماضي.
وفي اتصال هاتفي سابق مع الجريدة، أكد المراقبان أنهما نجحا في الوصول إلى العيون المحتلة هربا من المذبحة التي جرت في مخيم "اكديم إيزيك"، حيث "وصلنا والرعب في قلوبنا"، لتضيف إيسابيل "الليل في العيون مرعب. كتائب الشرطة والجيش تواصل البحث عن الصحراويين منزلا منزلا".
الجيش والشرطة "تحطم الأبواب ويعذبون ويعتقلون الصحراويين. يريدون تصفية الشعب الصحراوي، ما يجري هناك مرعب".
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15/11/2010
أكدت المراقبة الإسبانية، إيسابيل تيراثا، لجريدة "ايلموندو" في عددها ليوم الأحد، أن "ليالي العيون مرعبة" بعد مذبحة مخيم "اكديم إيزيك"، مضيفة أن سلطات الإحتلال نقلت عشرات المعتقلين الصحراويين للمدن المغربية في حافلات.
"الليل في العيون مرعب. كتائب الشرطة والجيش تواصل البحث عن الصحراويين منزلا منزلا. تحطم الأبواب وتعذب وتعتقل الصحراويين. إنهم يريدون تصفية الشعب الصحراوي، ما يجري هناك مرعب"، تقول السيدة إيزابيل التي اعترفت أنها لم تخف يوما في حياتها مثلما حصل معها هناك.
وأكدت من جهة أخرى أن عدد المعتقلين مرتفع جدا، حيث "توصلنا بمعلومات أن 10 حافلات على الأقل خرجت يوم السبت مملوءة بمعتقلي السجن لكحل لتوزيعهم ربما على بقية سجون المغرب، وإفراغ مكان للمزيد من المعتقلين الصحراويين".
وكانت المراقبة ورفيق آخر لها قد حضرا فصول الهجمة العسكرية على المواطنين الصحراويين بمخيم "اكديم إيزيك" يوم الإثنين 8 نوفمبر الماضي، ونجيا بأعجوبة، ليصلا العيون والرعب قد تملكهما، في حين كانت الشرطة المغربية تبحث عنهما وعن مراقبين آخرين نجحوا في التسلل للمدينة المحتلة.
وللمرة الأولى، تقول المراقبة الإسبانية، توصلنا بمكالمة من وزيرة الخارجية الإسبانية، ترينيداد خيمينث، والتي أكدت لهما أن اسبانيا ستعمل على إخراجهما من العيون المحتلة دون أن يتعرضا لأذى، حيث أن الجميع كان يخشى على حياتهما من انتقام المغرب.
وكانت الخارجية الإسبانية قد نجت في إخراج مراقبين آخرين هما سيلفيا غارسيا وخافيير سوبينيا، يوم الأحد وقد وصلا جزر الكاناري وهم في حالة مزرية.
جنوب إفريقيا تؤكد على ضرورة توسيع صلاحيات بعثة "المينورسو" لتشمل حماية حقوق الإنسان في الصحراء الغربية بريتوريا 15 نوفمبر2010 (واص)- أكد نائب وزير الشؤون الخارجية والتعاون في جنوب أفريقيا، السيد إبراهيم إبراهيم الاثنين على الحاجة الملحة لتوسيع صلاحيات بعثة الأمم المتحدة لتنظيم الاستفتاء بالصحراء الغربية "المينورسو" لتشمل حماية حقوق الإنسان في الصحراء الغربية.
وذكر المسؤول الجنوب إفريقي، أن إيجاد آلية أممية لحماية المواطنين الصحراويين بات أكثر من ضرورة. وأضاف، "يجب على الأمم المتحدة إسناد بعثتها في الإقليم هذه المهمة".
وجدد نائب وزير خارجية جنوب إفريقيا في اجتماع عقده اليوم مع السفير الصحراوي بالبلد السيد، الصالح العبد، موقف بلاده الداعم لحق الشعب الصحراوي في تقرير مصيره " كمبدأ أساسي اعتمدته حكومة جنوب إفريقيا منذ سقوط نظام الفصل العنصري ".
وبعد إبلاغه من قبل السفير الصحراوي عن مستجدات القضية الصحراوية وخاصة الأحداث الأخيرة والوضع العام في الأراضي المحتلة، أعرب السيد ابراهيم ابراهيم عن "استنكاره" لما قامت به سلطات الاحتلال المغربية من انتهاكات في حق المدنيين الصحراويين.(واص) 084/090/1420/15نوفمبر010وا
هذا الشريط المسجل يظهر فضيحة الجيش المغربي و حبهم للعنف و تعطشهم لسفك دماء الابرياء الصحراويين, هذا لم و لن يخفى من قبل لكن لمن لا يؤمن بالكلام و الصور هنا تجد العرض بالصوت و الصورة ,الحقيقة مهما كانت ستكون كالأتي "الجيش المغربي ينتهك حقوق الانسان في المناطق المحتلة من الصحراء الغربية "
Deaths in Western Sahara camp and Defenceless civilians
AND
"WE have never been close to war " POLISARIO said
At least 14 people have been killed and 279 injured and more than 159 missing ,in a raid by Moroccan forces on a protest camp in the disputed region of Western Sahara, sources on both rival sides have said.
this happened when Morocco sent paramilitary police and royal force to destroy the protest camp which had sprung up just outside the capital, Laayoune .
Several thousand people had joined the camp at Gadaym Izik - the largest protest in the three-decade dispute.
They are overtly demanding independence like Polisario ,
The security forces used water cannon and fire bombs to clear the protesters,
the Morocco suppose to be in real direct negotiation with the pilisario
in the US aimed at ending the conflict over the region. .however this has one meaning they are directly broking the ceasefire that was firmed in the end of 1991 ,The violence broke out just hours before United Nations-brokered talks were due to resume in the US, led by the latest UN envoy to the region, US diplomat Christopher Ross.
Negotiations have stalled for more than a decade, with a succession of UN envoys tasked with ending the dispute but moving on after failing to break the deadlock.Morocco have been refusing to offer anything for the region, while Polisario insists that full independence must be offered in a referendum.Morocco have been flooding the region with non-Sahrawis since they invade western Sahara , in order to dilute nationalist feeling and ensure that any vote rejects independence.
RABAT — A youth was killed and five people were wounded by Moroccan police when they tried to gain access to a camp near Laayoune in Western Sahara, a source close to local authorities said.
The source said a clash had broken out between a group of youths and the police who had "opened fire and killed a 14-year-old." The wounded were taken to a military hospital in Laayoune.
More than 5,000 residents of Laayoune set up tents October 19 seven kilometres (four miles) outside the town in the direction of Smara to protest against social conditions in the former Spanish colony. Several witnesses said the number of protesters had grown to over 10,000.
The youths "were in two cars. A bullet was fired from one of the vehicles, which forced the security forces to riposte," the interior ministry said in a statement.
"One person was killed and three others were wounded in the exchange of fire," the statement added. "The prosecutor's office of the Laayoune appeal court has ordered a judicial inquiry."
The incident occurred just after a brief visit to Morocco by the UN special envoy for the Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, who had arrived Friday in hope of reviving talks between the kingdom and the Polisario Front separatist movement, officials said.
Ross arrived in Casablanca from the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, as part of a tour of the region that has already taken him to Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front's claim to the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.
A former Spanish colony, Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco after settlers withdrew in 1975. The north African kingdom stakes a historical claim to the territory, which Polisario violently opposed until the United Nations brokered a ceasefire in 1991.
Polisario wants a UN-organised referendum that would give the Sahrawi people three choices: attachment to Morocco, independence or autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.
Morocco backs the option of broad autonomy for the territory, but rejects any notion of independence for Western Sahara. .
جديد النازحين الصحراويين عن المناطق المحتلة جراء التهميش والعنصرية التي تطال شعبنا منذ 1975، ومما لاشك فيه أنكم علمتم بالتدخل الهمجي في حق النازحين من بوجدور ليلة أمس والمطارادات والملاحقات، وهاهي العيون المحتلة اليوم تعيش تطويقا عسكريا قوامه الدرك الملكي والقوتا المساعدة بعتادهم وآلاتهم وذلك من الجهتين الشرقي والجنوبية المؤديتين إلى مخيم النازحين الذي أصبح يبلغ تعداده البشري حسب آخر الإحصاءات عصر اليوم 5000 شخص، وحسب المصادر الموثوقة المقيمة في المخيم فإن القوات المرابطة هناك منعت حاويات المياه من الوصول إلى النازحين وطوردت العديد من السيارات سواء منها المتوجهة أو القادمة منه ومصادرتها.
هذا وتفيد المصادر إلى أن النازحين يناشدون منظمة غوث اللاجئين لإغاثتهم من خلال الجبهة الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الساقية الحمراء وواد الذهب بصفتها الممثل الشرعي للشعب الصحراوي.
: لاحظوا الصورة جيدا، جزء من التطويق العسكري للمخيم وجدار حديدي يعزلهم، في المقابل لاحظوا شاب صحراوي يقابل جندي مغربي في إطار عملية تنظيمية يقوم بمهمة الحراسة وصدره عاري في حين العسكري المغربي يحمي نفسه بخوذة وآليات، هذا هو الشعب الصحراوي الأنفة والشموخ، ولكن على الإعلام الوطني مواكبة هذا الشكل النضالي بشكل يشجع النازحين على الصمود سيما وأنهم يتابعون أثير الإذاعة الوطنية ليليا,
