Western Sahara Referendum Support Association (Delemont)
10 December 2007
SADR
06.11.07 Anniversary of the "green" march In his speech, the King of Morocco declares that "whatever formula for a consensual solution should emerge from the serious negotiations, Morocco, its king and its people, will never accept anything other than autonomy, within the framework of a single and unified state".
The Saharawi government firmly condemned the King of Morocco's statement, calling it "the Moroccan state's violation of international law" and a "denial of its commitments".
For his part, the representative of the Polisario Front representative in the UK and Ireland, Sidi M'hamed Omar, in an interview with APS declared that the anniversary of the "black march" recalls "a sinister day in history for the whole region and marks the start of Morocco's expansionist policy in the region.
10.11.07 Transafricain classic "Following talks with the Quai d'Orsay and the Moroccan and Mauritanian authorities, the 2nd Transafrican Classic 2007 running from Paris to Dakar (01-18.11.07) had to modify the stage planned between Ausserd (Occupied Territories) and Chinguetti (Mauritania), because of the 'instability of the border area'. The organiser, Patrick Zaniroli therefore added an additional stage of over 500 kilometres, in order to send the competitors through the control post on the Atlantic coast, the only way through from Morocco to Mauritania tolerated by the Polisario Front and the SADR government." [communiqué officiel] http://www.zaniroli.com/yacs/file-fetch/4844-Changement-d-itineraire.pdf.
15.11.07 Statement The president of the international branch of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the oldest British trades union body, Simon Steyne, underlined in Geneva that "the fairest and most realistic alternative for the question of Western Sahara is the self-determination of the Saharawi people".
22.11.07 Resolution The Norwegian Young Conservatives asked their government to recognise the Saharawi Republic.
[Resolution] http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=49&art=692 [original] http://ungehoyre.no/articles/show/1931
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES AND SOUTH MOROCCO
Questionings, arrests
Cases of questioning and arrest have been increasing in the territories. The Moroccan police, plain clothed or uniformed gather near or even inside educational establishments and in the areas with a majority Saharawi population.
Provocations are common. Young Saharawi cybernauts, suspected of having looked at web pages revealing the abuses committed by the Moroccan police are insulted or heckled. CODESA therefore published on 27.11.07 a list of 40 names of young Saharawis arrested during the month of November.[communiqué] http://www.arso.org/CODESA231107.htm One attack in particular, in El Ayoun, to point out is that made upon El-Houcine Lemlih (40 ans), who was listening to the Saharawi radio while walking in the street. Followed by plain-clothed police, he took refuge in the Smara Hotel, where his torturers caught up with him and threw him out a window. Lemlih was seriously injured and is still in hospital.
The mother of the political prisoner and member of CODESA Elwali Amidane and Rabab Amidane, as well as her two other daughters were called in for questioning on 9 November with a dozen other people coming away from a demonstration in El Ayoun. [Photos] http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=1&art=672 These arrests triggered a demonstration outside the Moroccan Embassy in Oslo with Rabab Amidane, on a visit to Norway.
Norwegian political figures spoke. A delegation was received by the Ambassador, who denied the existence of attacks on human rights in Western Sahara. [report + photos] http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=49&art=668 [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnZyXayfRSY At its Board Meeting in Vilnius, December 2nd 2007, The European Students' Union (ESU), umbrella organisation of 47 national unions of students from 36 countries, unanimously voted through a motion calling for the protection of Saharawi students.[text] http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?dl=en
Sentences
01.11.07, El-Ayoun Sadik Boullahi, a member of the executive of ASVDH, was sentenced in the court of first instance to six months in prison and a fine of 5.000 DH for "creating a non-authorised association". [ASVDH] http://asvdh.net/english/?p=272
14.11.07, El-Ayoun Khalihenna Dlimi, Barkou Ahmed and Mouloud, accused of imaginary crimes appeared in court in the presence of two Spanish observers. On 28 November, Dlimi and Mouloud Barkou were sentenced to a year, Hamid to a year and a half of prison in the presence of two other Spanish observers.
[Comunicado] http://derechoshumanos.icaba.es/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=179 [ASVDH] http://asvdh.net/?p=334
03.12.07 The president of the local committee of ASVDH in Boujdour, Mohamed TAHLIL, was given a sentence in the court of first instance of a fine of 120 MDH for the destruction of public property. The sentence was handed down before the barristers and observers arrived and without even the accused in court. Tahlil was sentenced to three years in prison on 19 September 2007 for "setting up a criminal band". He appeared on 4 December to appeal that judgment in the presence of five Spanish observers and one Swiss observer. His punishment was reduced from 3 to 2 years in prison.[ASVDH] http://asvdh.net/?p=337
Enquiries, appeals
31.10.07 During a reception in London of the Saharawi human rights activist and prisoner of conscience, Aminatou Haidar, two British Labor members of parliament, David Drew and Jeremy Corbyn, condemned the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Moroccan authorities in the occupied Saharawi regions and the military blockade and media blackout imposed by Morocco in Western Sahara.
Aminatou Haidar also met officials of the Foreign Office and Amnesty International. [SPS]
01.11.07 The Collective of Saharawi Human Rights defenders (CODESA) called for the opening of an international inquiry into the serious human rights abuses committed by the Moroccan state in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.
03.11.07 A delegation of Human Rights Watch, led by Eric Goldstein, is carrying out a visit to the occupied territories of Western Sahara to inquire into developments in human rights. On this occasion, the Moroccan police were deployed throughout the whole zone and proceeded to a number of arrests, 70 according to the Saharawi minister for the occupied territory, Khalil Sid Mhamed. In Smara the arrival of the delegation gave place to a demonstration, brutally dispersed and followed by the sacking of several houses by the police.
13-14.11.07 Sabah Khoury, official in the department of Human Rights in the American Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stayed for two days in El Ayoun, accompanied by Craig Karp, counselor with the US Embassy in Rabat. The delegation insisted on visiting the Black Prison. [16.11.07, Aujourd'hui le Maroc ]
26.11.07 The British MP David Drew questioned the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the house on the subject of the Saharawi refugees. [Text] http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm071126/text/71126w0054.htm#column_228W
30.11.07 The NGO Law-Solidarity and the International Association of Democrat Lawyers protested about the various sentences in recent weeks.
They denounced the impediments set by the Moroccan authorities to setting up associations to defend human rights in the occupied territories, quoting the example of ASVDH, the victim of an abuse of authority by the pacha of El Ayoun, who refused the registration of this NGO, which was confirmed by the Administrative Tribunal of Agadir on 21 September 2006.
[Droit-solidarité] http://asvdh.net/?p=336 [Déclaration de L'AIJD] [Déclaration de L'AIJD] http://asvdh.net/?p=335
CODESA, which suffered from a similar refusal, postponed its founding meeting, planned for the beginning of October, indefinitely. [details] http://www.arso.org/CODESAprepOct2007.htm
Exclusion
Saharawi students, forbidden access to post graduate studies within Moroccan universities since 19 October 2007, started in November a hunger strike outside the office of the regional administration in Goulimine. Saharawi students at the university of Mohammedia demonstrated against the ban on dozens of students their pursuing their studies. Ali Salem Tamek did not receive his authorisation to enrol at the university of Mohammedia, where he was preparing to undertake studies in law and journalism.
Prisons Several Saharawi political detainees, among them Mohamed Tahlil, Ahmed Sbai, Ahamed Mahmoud Haddi Elkainan, Mohamed Lehbib Elgasmi, Bachir Khadda and Elhafed Toubali, were attacked by prison warders. [ASVDH] http://asvdh.net/?p=325 [ASVDH] http://asvdh.net/?p=332
Testimonies
22-24.11.07, 4th Dublin Platform This international conference organised by Front Line provided an opportunity to discuss the attacks on the rights of human rights defenders, to establish contacts between defenders and to talk about practical experiences. Aminatou Haidar spoke about the situation in Western Sahara and asked that the embargo be lifted on the 2006 report of the OHCHR on human rights in occupied Western Sahara. The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern presided at the opening of the conference, in which Mrs Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for human rights, took part.
[details] <http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/fr/node/1152>http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/fr/node/1152 [more] http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1260 [Intervention of Aminatou Haidar, French] http://www.arso.org/AminatouHDublin22112007.htm
Mass grave
29.11.07, El-Ayoun A common grave containing the mortal remains of five people was discovered by chance on 20 November near the grounds of the Black Prison.
The authorities revealed this fact a week later.
ASVDH demands that "light must be shed on the identity of these persons", this prison having been, in the years 1976-1978, a secret detention centre from which numerous Saharawis never returned. The Moroccan authorities rapidly disinterred the bones, claiming that they were very old Saharawi tombs. According to ASVDH, the Saharawis "never bury their dead on the sides of wadis and even less far away from the city cemetries". CODESA also condemned the attitude of the authorities and asked for the identification of the human remains. [AFAPREDESA, 27.11.07] http://www.afapredesa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93&Itemid=2 [CODESA statement, 29.11.07] http://arso.org/CODESA291107.htm
Traffic Accident?
26.11.07 A young Saharawi student at the University of Agadir, Al Koumani Faisail Al Houssein Saleh, died after having been hit successively by two cars outside the university. Saharawi students gathered as a sign of solidarity and to protest against "the desire of the local authorities to humiliate Saharawi students". The European parliamentary intergroup "Peace for the Saharawi People", condemned what it called an "assassination".
Royal Visit
27.11.-04.12.07 The King of Morocco visited Goulimine, Sidi Ifni, Fask, Asrir and Assa.
See also, French, press reviews on Sahara Info: Sahara Occidental/Territoires occupés : [I] http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/sahara-info/message/5672 [II] http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/sahara-info/message/5686 [III] http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/sahara-info/message/5687
NATURAL RESOURCES
Phosphate
A ship called, Makra, sailing under a Liberian flag, on 17 October unloaded its cargo of phosphate coming from Western Sahara. The Jin Yi did the same in Fremantle on 10 November on behalf of Wesfarmers CSBP, and the previous week its sister ship, Jin Xing in Geelong for Incitec Pivot. The Genco Carrier arrived in Lyttleton (Christchurch) lon 28 November, carrying phosphate from Western Sahara, although the official origin indicated was Morocco. [doc] http://www.lpc.co.nz/RP.jasc?=&Node=N38P0&Page=A_Shipping_Forecast&PrinterFriendly=true
07.11.07 Cate Lewis, secretary of the Australian association of friendship with the Saharawi people, AWSA, declared that the Australian fertiliser companies which import phosphate from Western Sahara participate economically and politically in the occupation of Western Sahara.
They are not apparently concerned by the charges drawn up by the Spanish judge Garzon against high-ranking Moroccan dignitaries of torture and genocide.
09.11.07 The maritime transport company, Arnesen Shipbrokers, based in Farsund in Norway, delivered to Lithuania in July phosphate from Western Sahara. The parliamentarian, Anne Margrethe Larsen, a member of the Foreign Affairs committee, criticised the company for not respecting the recommendations of the Norwegian government.
[Original version (Norwegian)] http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/sorlandet/1.3991898 [English translation] http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=49&art=659
03.12.07 A Norwegian pension fund, (Kommunal Landspensjonskasse Mutual Insurance Company (KLP)) has blacklisted the company Wesfarmers CSBP for unethical behaviour and has withdrawn its investment in Wesfarmers from its share portfolio. According to the Norwegian business daily Dagens Næringsliv it took this step because of the illegal importation of phosphate sourced in Western Sahara. [Dagens Næringsliv] http://www.dn.no/forsiden/borsMarked/article1257253.ece?jgo=r2_l&WT.svl=nederstbors [Dagens Næringsliv, Engl. translation] http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=49&art=719 [KLP Press Statement, 03.12.07] http://www.klp.no/web/klpno.nsf/pages/EnglishPressReleases.html AWSA, the Australian association of solidarity with Western Sahara appealed to the new federal government to intervene to put an end to the illegal importations of fertilisers from two other Australian companies, Incitec Pivot and Impact Fertilisers who are also involved in this trade.
[AWSA Statement 04.12.07] http://awsa.org.au/?p=251 [AWSA Statement 05.12.07] http://awsa.org.au/?p=254 The Swedish bank, KPA Pension also mentions WESFARMERS in its recent black list of investments to avoid.
http://www.kpa.se/mallar/Sida____810.aspx For several years importations of phosphate from Western Sahara have been followed, monitored and denounced by the coalition of NGOs, Western Sahara Resource Watch.
Oil
21.11.07 The company, Island Oil & Gas plc announced that its Moroccan branch, Island International Exploration Morocco, IIEM, had just signed with ONHYM (Office National marocain des Hydrocarbures et des Mines), seven exploration contracts in the region onshore of Tarfaya, valid for eight years.
IIEM is associated with the operators Longreach Oil and Gas Ventures Limited and San Leon (Morocco) Limited.
According to Africa Energy Intelligence, the zone to be explored has two thirds of its extent within Western Sahara.[more] http://www.islandoilandgas.com/default.asp?docId=12442&newsItem=12837
16.11.07 The Saharawi minister for the Occupied Territories and the Diaspora, Khalil Sid Mhamed, on a visit to the Canaries, warned the autonomous Canaries government that European investment planned for the Sahara are illegal (the European Union, within the framework of its neighbourhood policy, grants money to regions on the "ultra-periphery" - such as the Canaries - funding which is destined for the neighbouring countries). [Afrol News, espanol] http://www.afrol.com/es/articulos/27265
REFERENDUM
08.11.07 The deputy for Seine-Maritime, the mayor of Gonfreville l'Orcher, Jean-Paul Lecoq, condemned before the French parliament the French policy of double standards towards the conflict in Western Sahara. [CORELSO]
09.11.07 The Moroccan government cancelled a seminar on Saharawi culture due to take place from 12 to 26 November on the island of Madeira within the peace process framework of "confidence-building measures". [SPS]
22.11.07 In a newly published work, Surrender is not an option, the former American UN ambassador, John Bolton, writes that the Bush administration has stopped supporting the referendum, persuaded that the Saharawis would vote for independence, which would destabilise Morocco and would open the way to radical Islamism. Bolton reveals that it was the lack of support by the US administration which forced Baker to resign in 2004. Bolton was the right hand man for Baker from 1997 to 2000.
[more and link to excerpts from the book] http://saharaoccidental.blogspot.com/2007/11/boltons-book-el-libro-de-bolton.html
23-25.11.07, Prague, 2nd Congress of the European Left A resolution on Western Sahara was adopted in favour of the right to self-determination and for the continuance of the negotiations.
03.12.07 The Saharawi minister for Foreign Affairs, Ould Salek announced that the 3rd round would take place in Manhasset from 7-9 January.
MOROCCO
05-06.11.07, visit of Juan Carlos to Ceuta and Melilla The visit of the King of Spain to the towns of Ceuta and Melilla provoked a strong nationalist reaction in Morocco and the anger of the King, who decided in person to recall "for an indeterminate duration" Morocco's Ambassador in Madrid. He has still not returned to his post.
15.11.07 A Moroccan spy, Hicham Bouchti (see weej 33-34/2006) <http://www.arso.org/01-f06-3334.htm#mo>http://www.arso.org/01-f06-3334.htm#mo was charged with assassinating the journalist, Ali Lmrabet, according to his own declarations to the Moroccan weekly, El Micha'al.
[more] http://arso.org/LmrabetBuchtaASM.htm#e [UPES Solidarity Statement] http://www.upes.org/body1_eng.asp?field=sosio_eng&id=685 [CODESA's reaction in solidarity with Lmrabet (in Arabic)] http://www.upes.org/body1.asp?field=sosio&id=1211 [Arabic] http://www.upes.org/body1.asp?field=sosio&id=1214
SPAIN
28.11.07 The Spanish parliament passed a resolution from the "United Left" expressing the "urgency of a just and lasting solution" which would safeguard the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. [original text in Spanish] http://www.congreso.es/public_oficiales/L8/CONG/BOCG/D/D_530.PDF#page=4
29.11.07 The regional Catalonian Parliament reaffirmed the right of the Saharawi people to self-detemination, in an institutional Declaration adopted on the occasion of the celebration of the international year of solidarity with the Saharawi people. [original text in catalan] http://www.parlament.cat/portal/page/portal/pcat/IE06/IE0604?p_format=D&p_id=13806413
HUMAN RIGHTS
13-19.11.07 South-South meeting in Guatemala with the participation of human rights organisations from Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Western Sahara, Angola, Uruguay, Argentina and Sweden.
16.11.07 The executive of the Maghreb Coordination of Human Rights Organisations (CMODH) reaffirms, during its second meeting, the necessity of the recognition of the right of peoples to political, economic and cultural self-determination and the guarantee of collective participation in taking the decision.
HUMANITARIAN AID
07.11.07 The UN World Food Program (WFP) welcomed the contribution of a million euros from the Humanitarian Office of the European Commission (ECHO), which will be used to buy 1 400 tonnes of wheat flour, 250 tonnes of sugar and 200 tonnes of a mixture of wheat and soya to assist in feeding 125 000 of the most vulnerable refugees for a period of 26 days. [Reliefweb] http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/LSGZ-78QJCL?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
21-23.11.07 The second meeting to coordinate hygiene took place in the Saharawi camps with the participation of representatives of the UNHCR, UNICEF, ECHO, OMS, the Algerian Red Crescent and the Saharawi Red Crescent, the Spanish Agency of Cooperation (AECI) and Spanish, Italian and Norwegian NGOs. [SPS]
SOLIDARITY
03-04.11.07 In London at Rich Mix Cultural Foundation a Saharawi cultural festival, organised by the British organisation "Sandblast" took place, preceded and accompanied by numerous cultural events. The film-maker Ken Loach, the Somali artist Mariam Mursal, the president of the Trades Union Congress, Alison Shepherd and the former Olympic champion Hassiba Boulmerka took part in the opening evening. [more] http://www.sandblast-arts.org/web/festival/index.htm
07.11.07, London The participants in a conference on Western Sahara at the seat of the British parliament on the theme "It is time to act", demanded the publication of the OHCHR report in 2006 on the human rights situation sur in Western Sahara.
10.11.07, Madrid Several thousand people took part in a demonstration in Madrid in favour of the right to self-determination and against the repression in occupied Western Sahara.[Photo Reportages: http://sahararesiste.blogspot.com/>http://sahararesiste.blogspot.com/ ]
17-20.11.07 A Saharawi cultural week in Exconvento museum of Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico.
19.11.07 A delegation of Saharawi intellectuals and artists are taking part in the 2nd Festival of Peoples of Africa in Caracas, Venezuela.
COMING UP
08.12.07, Lisbonne Manifestation en faveur du droit à l'autodétermination du peuple sahraoui à l'occasion du sommet euro-africain, auquel la République sahraouie n'a pas été conviée: http://sahararesiste.blogspot.com/2007/12/8-de-diciembre-lisboa-concentracin-en.html
10-15.12.07, Festival de Cine Solidario de Guadalajara (FESCIGU) Participation de la chanteuse sahraouie Aziza Brahim et de Hmad Hamad à l'occasion de la projection de "Children of the clouds", de Carlos González: http://www.cinefilia-films.com/
14.12- 18.12.07 Tifariti http://www.rasd-state.ws/12congreso.htm XII Congrès du Front POLISARIO XIIth Congress of the POLISARIO Front XII Congreso del Frente POLISARIO
Amanecer del 2008 con los Saharauis: 29.12.07 - 03.01.08: http://www.saharaindependiente.org/agenda/w/agenda/amanecer2008.htm
05.01.-20.01.08 Euromilhoes Lisboa-Dakar 2008 (ex-Paris-Dakar) 10.01.08 Goulimine-Smara 11.01.08 Smara-Atar
07-09.01.08, Manhasset III 3e round des négociations entre le Front Polisario et le Maroc à Manhasset, New York (Etats Unis)
25.02.08 Sahara Marathon: http://www.saharamarathon.org/
INTERNET
New website - Nouveau site - Nuevo sitio
XII Congrès du Front POLISARIO - XIIth Congress of the POLISARIO Front - XII Congreso del Frente POLISARIO WEB: FR, EN, ES, AR http://www.rasd-state.ws/12congreso.htm
DOCUMENTS
02.11.07, Interview Ali Salem Tamek http://poemariosahara.blogspot.com/2007/11/ali-salem-tamek-el-nico-integrismo-que.html
Western Sahara: Africa's Last Colony by Frank Ruddy, Speeches at World Affairs Council Alaska, October+November 2007: http://arso.org/RuddyAlaskaspeech2007.htm printable PDF formate: http://arso.org/RuddyAlaskaspeech2007.pdf
- Sáhara Occidental: la última colonia en Africa, Frank Ruddy, Embajador de los Estados Unidos de América (retirado), Ex Vicepresidente de la Misión de las Naciones Unidas para el Referéndum del Sáhara Occidental (MINURSO), Oct./Nov. 2007 Alaska http://arso.org/RuddyAlaskaspeech2007s.htm
- La sociologie des Sahraouis contre le dérapage sociologique du CNRS, Ali Omar Yara, sociologue des conflits, Paris, le 12 novembre 2007 [Critique de l'essai de Mohamed Cherkaoui: Le Sahara, liens sociaux et enjeux géostratégique, Oxford, éd. Bardwell Press, 2007, 206 p.] http://www.arso.org/Cherkaoui.pdf
- The Saharawi struggle, by Malainan Lakhal, The Rhodes Journalism Review, 27, Sept. 2007.
http://www.rjr.ru.ac.za/rjrpdf/rjr_no27/Sahawari_struggle.pdf
Between the International Apathy and the Moroccan Autonomy Plan: Western Sahara -The Mysterious Road By Aluat Hamudi, Global affairs, Issue 6/ December-January 2008 http://www.globalaffairs.es/Noticia-233.html
VIDEO
Video de la manifestation de Madrid 10.11.07 : http://saharafito.blogspot.com/2007/11/fotos-de-la-manifestacion-por-la.html
LA PUERTA DEL SÁHARA (Un recorrido por la historia y el corazón del pueblo saharaui) Guión y Dirección: María Jesús Alvarado Realización: Álvaro Carrero Banda sonora: Eduardo Westerdahl Producciones Almacabra (Islas Canarias) Duración: 45 minutos Precio: 20 euros Puedes ver reportaje de la película en nuestro espacio: http://almacabra.spaces.live.com/
Children of the clouds, a documentary by Carlos Gonzalez about Morocco's campaign of repression against Sahrawi students 15': http://gallery.mac.com/czalez#100052 or on Youtube: Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86mvXy-8wjY&feature=user Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApA8LLvw6kI&feature=user Hijos de las nubes, documental de Carlos Gonzalez sobre la represion marroqui encontro los estudiantes saharauis, 15 min http://gallery.mac.com/czalez#100052
OPINIONS: http://opinions.arso.org
NEW PUBLICATIONS [External links to newspapers may not be valid after some days because the servers are restarted]
Français >> Revue de la presse internationale francophone >>http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/revue-de-presse-sahara-occidental/messages - Les Saharaouis entre négociation et répression, La carotte et le bâton, Jean-Paul Le Marec, Rouge Midi, 5 novembre 2007.
http://www.rougemidi.org/spip.php?article2703 - "Des murs entre les hommes", Alexandra Novosseloff, La Documentation Française, 2007, 200 p.
http://www.newspress.fr/communique_194866_937.aspx - CORELSO.Info No 8, novembre 2007, Organe du Comité pour le Respect des Libertés et des Droits humains au Sahara Occidental, Paris.
http://www.arso.org/CORELSO-INFO.htm - El Karama, bulletin du BIRDHSO, Genève, No 31-32, nov.-déc. 2007.
- Les Droits de l'Homme dans le Plan d'Action Maroc-UE dans le cadre de la Politique Européenne de Voisinage Evaluation et Recommandations des ONG pour la Mise en 'uvre du Plan d'Action, REMDH, Novembre 2007.
http://www.euromedrights.net/usr/00000026/00000027/00001910.pdf
English >> English publications on Sahara Update >>mailinglist: >>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/messages - 31 Thirty One Treinta y uno a bilingual anthology of saharawi resistance poetry in Spanish una antología bilingüe de poesía saharaui de resistencia en espa-ol, Pablo San Martín and Ben Bollig. Leeds, May 2007.
- "Surrender Is Not an Option: Defending America At The United Nations And Abroad" By John Bolton, Threshold Editions, Nov. 2007, 496 p.
- Crew looks for plenty more fish in sea... off Morocco, Murdo Macleod, Scotsman.com, 04.11.07.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1755092007 - South African ambassador speaks for the Sahrawis, University of Oslo, Norway, 20.11.07.
http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=49&art=705%20 - Sons of the Clouds, Toby Shelley, Red Pepper, UK, Dec. 2007.
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/article730.html - Two more companies excluded , KLP Press Statement, 03.12.07.
http://www.klp.no/web/klpno.nsf/pages/EnglishPressReleases.html - Norwegian investor divests from Australian phosphate importer, engl. translation from Dagens Næringsliv, 03.12.07, Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara.
http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=49&art=719
Castellano >> Revista de la prensa en espa-ol >>http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/revista-de-prensa-sahara-occidental/messages - 31 Thirty One Treinta y uno a bilingual anthology of saharawi resistance poetry in Spanish una antología bilingüe de poesía saharaui de resistencia en espa-ol, Pablo San Martín and Ben Bollig. Leeds, May 2007.
- Lefrig, Número 13. Noviembre 2007 Boletín informativo del Centro de Documentación y Museo de la Resistencia del Pueblo Saharaui y la Solidaridad Internacional.
http://www.lefrig.org/boletines/boletin13.html - El mito de la amistad marroquí, Carlos Ruiz Miguel, La Razon, 06.11.07.
http://www.larazon.es/noticias/noti_nac27021.htm - Una actitud fuera de lugar, Fernando Arias-Salgado, La Razon, 06.11.07.
http://www.larazon.es/noticias/noti_nac27527.htm - ¿Es posible estar a buenas con Marruecos? Por Carlos Ruiz Miguel, Libertad Digital, 12.11.07.
http://exteriores.libertaddigital.com/articulo.php/1276233980 - Entrevista a Hmad Hammad, Vicepresidente del Comité Saharaui de Apoyo a la Autodeterminación del Sáhara Occidental, Rebellion, 21-11-2007.
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=59308
Catala - Buscant-los un lloc en la prehistòria, Engega 3, Revista de la Universitat de Girona, desembre 2007: http://www.udg.edu/Portals/0/engega/num3/prehist%C3%B2ria_engega03%2013.pdf
Deutsch - Sahara Info, Bulletin des SUKS, Bern, No 105, Dez. 2007: http://suks.arso.org
Italiano Attualità in italiano: El Ouali Bologna: http://www.saharawi.org/saharawi.htm + Radio for Peace http://www.radiokcentrale.it/du.htm
Norsk - Jeg ofrer meg for friheten, Francis Lundh, VG Nett, 10.11.07 : http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=183965 - TV2 Nyhetene: Trine Skei Grande (V) mener Norge kunne gjort mer, 10.11.07: http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=1&art=670 - Spontandemonstrasjon ved Marokkos ambassade i Oslo, 10.11.07: http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=1&art=667 - Familien til Rabab torturert og løslatt, SKVS , 12.11.07: http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=1&art=672 - To nye selskaper ekskludert , Pressemeldinger, 03.12.07: http://www.klp.no/web/klpno.nsf/pages/OmKLPPressePressemeldinger.html?open&disp_key=5FFD63935E2C25D6C12573A6002F219D - To nye selskaper på svarteliste. KLP har ekskludert ytterligere to selskaper fra sitt investeringsunivers. Kristin Vallevik Gjerde, Cecilie Langum, Dagens Næringsliv, 03.12.07: http://www.dn.no/forsiden/borsMarked/article1257253.ece?jgo=r2_l&WT.svl=nederstbors
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Azul, Salaam, Hellow,
The Sahara issue is an interesting subject to write about to understand the Maghreb.
For a good understanding of the complexity of the Sahara issue it is very important to understand the complete administrative history as well as ethnic origin, language and culture of this people . The polisario says to stand for the interests of Sahroui people. This guerrilla group has a leader who is born and raised in the Moroccan city of Marrakech. The polisario frequently turn off clearly the Moroccan identity, you can wonder why they do this so persistent.
The Maghrebbian people are the inhabitants of the Maghreb countries. These inhabitants have a common cultural background as well as etnicity and language. Are the Sahroui really so different from other Maghrebbian people? Didn`t the polisario leadership and Algerian nationalists shaped the Sahroui people to be the playball of their hidden agenda`s ? To what extent are the Sahroui people brainwashed by polisario holding them in Tindouf (Algeria) camps and forbid them travelling to Morocco, only let them travel to marxist states (Cuba North-Korea etc). To what extent does the polisario represents the will of the Sahroui`s? And has this vote been legitimate and democratically? There are a lot of rumours that a large part of the Sahroui`s are kept against their will by the polisario in Tindouf camps and can not travel by freely to Morocco. Is there a possibility perhaps to have a referendum under the Sahroui`s in Tindouf concerning the decision returning to their country of origin.
Can we talk about a Moroccan, Algerian etc. identity? Do the Sahroui people know that the current borders are a result of a colonial inheritance. Must we better think of the larger picture, the Maghrebbian identity, if you consider that all Maghrebbians actually are of Amazigh ( Berber) descent with an Arab-Amazigh culture. Factors that have to be taken into account are the geopolitics of the Maghreb territoy. Psychological status of the Sahroui people and other Maghrebbian tribes. Post-colonial influence of the past and the cold war period. These factors were all external to the Maghreb and imported by the ruling class by help of foreign countries that were after own interest. These actions contributes a great deal to the division of the Maghreb countries and resulted in a deadlock of the Maghreb unification and polarisation of the Moroccan and Algerian people.
It also may be interesting to consider to what extent the call of the Kabyle Amazigh( Berbers) people in North of Algeria for more autonomy can be compared to the Sahara issue. It is certain that the current borders of the Maghreb countries are not natural and are the result is of colonialian inheritance: Knowing this is interesting because the call for a Saharan republic by the polisario with their known borders seems not logic. So what is the original habitat of the original Sahroui people? Isn`t the original habitat of the Sahroui also the South of Algeria and the West of Libya? Why don`t the Sahroui leadership also claim a part of these countries and just the Moroccan Sahara with it`s unnatural colonial times borders? To what extent are these other Maghreb countries prepared give a part of their country to the self-management of these Sahroui`s ?
If you consider there are more people living in the Western Sahara than in the Tindouf camps, these people are under Moroccan administration and came for the large part with the Green March. These people claim to be Saharan and were expelled and fled to the North of Morocco during the Spanish colonisation. These people cannot prove that they are Saharan, and are not taken into account with the UN referendum explaining the dead lock of that plan in the past. To what extent is it practical to create a country as large as the state California with 200,000 Sahroui`s from Tindouf if you consider that in the North part there are more than 30 millions inhabitants? What is the plan for the larger group of people that are living there already that came for a great deal with the Green March? These have established themselves in the Sahara after the Green March and already live here several generations.
What will this so called Saharan republic do for the geopolitics of the Maghreb? How big is the chance that this country could become a banana republic or a vassal state of the relatively unstable Algeria. How big is the chance that this country could becomes dominated and subject for extremist organisations generated by a lack of knowledge and experience in public governance, resources, international recognition, legitimacy of leadership, etc.? Considering the following factors such as the goodwill which the Moroccan government has shown in the field of woman rights, emancipation of the Amazigh identity, economic development of the poor areas, moderate Islamic course, these factors makes Morocco a relatavly progressive country in the Maghreb. In international African magazines Morocco is illustrated as an country that could be an example for the region when one concerns the previous developments Morocco could be an example for other African nations. The Kabyle Amazigh people of Algeria just like other tribes in the Maghreb are denied all forms of self-management by their national governments. Colonel Muammar Ghadaffi that seized power by a coup in Libya doesn’t even want to recognise that there is Amazigh identity in his country and rules Libya like a dictator with no development democratically what so ever. There is hope when his son will follow up, he is more libaral and open minded than his father. The previous compared with the courage’s, far-reaching autonomy initiative of Morocco makes Morocco a benchmark for the other Maghreb countries. The autonomy proposal shows that Morocco is looking for a realistic solution, this shows the willingness of this multi cultural country with its progressive approach.
The Sahara question as such is like the problems in other in African countries a direct consequence of the colonial inheritance. The current country borders have been drawn with little respect for the cultural and administrative history, ethnicity and descent of the people. After the colonial period we had a pan Arab sentiment in North Africa. This Arab nationalism had no respect for the indigenous Amazigh identity and tried aggressively to eradicate all the Amazigh elements in the Maghreb. This Arabisation of the Maghreb had a big impact on the cultural diversity of the Maghreb. This cultural diversity made the Maghreb to be a moderate Islamic region with little space for extremism, separatism and absolute thoughts concerning culture and ethnicity. Initially this Arab nationalism had been developed in the Maghreb to keep the ruling class in its position and to unify the different Maghreb countries. This nationalism was initiated by the pan Arab thought from the Middle East to unify the Arab peoples and nations in a socialst anti Western framework. There was no space for cultural diversity and respect for the endemic people. The Arab Israeli war was initiated by the Palestine people and ‘ Arab’ countries because the didn’t accept the UN proposal of the division of land between of a Palastine and Jewish state. The` Arabs` lost the war and lost as a reslult some parts of their countries that are still occupied by Israel like the West Bank, Golan Hights, Sinai Desert in the past. Arab nationalism didn’t prove to be successful, it didn’t brought anything good to the Maghreb, no democracy, no cultural diversity because of the simple fact Maghreb people are not Arabs in the first place. This pan Arab nationalism is the cause of the current “ Islamic” extremism in Algeria. One of the Arabisation programmes in Algeria imported Arab teachers from Egypt to educate the Amazigh Algerians in the Arab language. What the Arab nationalist didn’t account for was the fact that these teachers of the Muslim Brotherhood could bring an extremist influx to the moderate Maghreb. The nationalist were blinded by there pan Arab ideology and at that time the treat of extremism was unknown. If the Maghreb people were more educated at that time they would never agree with this kind of misplaced nationalism. The more the Maghreb people get educated the more they become aware of the fact they are rather Maghrebbian of Amazigh descent than Arab.
After this unsuccessful pan Arab nationalism and after Algeria became independent from France the Maghreb countries became divided over the division of the French occupied territory. A part of Morocco was part of the French occupied Algeria. After the independence of Algeria this country didn’t want to give Morocco its lands in the East of Algeria back. This conflict resulted in a new kind of nationalism imposed by the rulers of Morocco and Algeria to unify both countries against each other. They created the idea that the inhabitants of the Maghreb differ from each other. At this moment were are still in this period, but there are positive changes for reconciliation of the past and to look at the future by the Maghreb governments. After the Amazigh emancipation of the different Amazigh tribes in the different Maghreb coutries this Aamzigh entity could be the initiator of the creation of more awareness of common values and descent of the Maghreb peoples.
At this moment we cannot redefine the country borders of the Maghreb coutries, this would contribute possibly to the instability of the region and can lead many wars and misery. The current positive developments in the Maghreb is to be supported and to keep the status-quo in government is essential. This platform of the status quo is to be preserved to continue building upon step by step a more democratic Maghreb. This status quo has its current administrative borders. We cannot permit ourselves to simply adapt the borders to a pre colonial period, however these borders may have looked and were legitimate concerning their inhabitants.
The emancipation and acceptance of the endemic language and culture is in my opinion the clue of making the Maghreb more democratic and unified. The cultural awareness of the people of the Maghreb will be followed by looking at common language, culture and ethnicity. There will be an emergence of the the always existing but relatively unknown Maghrebian identity. When the Maghrebian people will realise that they have been kept in fact unaware in the past by their nationalist rulers about their cultural and ethnic closeness the nationalist sentiment will be reduced. And thus a Maghreb Union would be supported by the people. Thus it would not be so important from were your country would be governed, Layoune, Rabat, Algiers, Tripoli etc. The only thing people will be interested is that their region is governed as good as possible not who but how its governed. A Maghreb Union where the separate countries in judicial, economic and military area cooperate and the separate regions by means of autonomy govern their area could be a good plan to work towards in the future. If you look what Europe achieved after the second world war, with so many differences of the member countries in language, culture, politics in contrast of the Maghreb were the people speak the same language have the almost the same culture, would be very realistic. We can learn from countries which have had similar development in the past such as the establishment of the EU and the way Spain gives autonomy to its regions. In short a further division of the Maghreb by creating an so called Saharan republic seems undesirable because the encouragement of nationalist feelings. As a potential consequence it could be a trigger on other tribes within the Maghreb who have misplaced unrighteous and dangerous separatist thought of total undesirable control of their habitat. In my opinion at this moment the focus should better be on enhancing and stimulating cooperation between the Maghreb countries to develop and adjust their economies to each other, to check each other on bettering democratically, be unified against extremist, instead of the infinite division, unity.
Warm regards and Salaam to you,
Jamal Nouhi Foundation Metalsa http://www.stichting-metalsa.nl