Rocky Blog

People sequestrated in Tindouf Camps suffer 'inhumane living conditions,' ex-UNHCR official

2009-11-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Sahrawi populations are enduring "inhumane living conditions" in Tindouf Camps, South-Western Algeria, said on Tuesday, Edward Benson, ex Officer-in-Charge of confidence-building measures at the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Tindouf populations are suffering "inhumane, brutal and isolated" living conditions, he said in a seminar held at Oxford University.

Benson added that in comparison with other conflicts in the world, the Sahara issue remains "confused regarding Algeria's implication."

During the conference, the audience watched a documentary film, made by United Nations Television (UNTV), describing the reunion of a father living in Morocco's southern provinces with his daughter who lived in Tindouf Camps, within the framework of the family visit exchange program.

Obama supports the UN- led negotiations to WS issue

2009-07-21T08:56:00.001-07:00

BY Terry Batcher

Polisario has launched a new meaningless and badly calculated Propaganda, interpreting the letter sent by the newly elected American president Barack Obama to King Mohamed VI as a shift in the American foreign policy towards the Western Sahara issue by backing a Polisario State. This desperate media propaganda was published in an American newspaper ‘World Tribune .com’. An article without any mention of the name of the author, nor his sources. The unknown author based his unconvincing analysis on “diplomatic sources” without naming his diplomatic sources, to make his article genuine and objective.

In fact there is no mention whatsoever in Obama’s letter about a shift of the American administration towards the Sahara issue, nor the creation of an independent state in the area, contrary to what the Polisario and its supporters propaganda machine are trying hard to prove through the electronic media .

In his letter Obama gave priority to the Middle east crisis , and the role that King of Morocco can play being the chairman of “Jerusalem committee”, but as far as WS is concerned the American president said the following : “ I realize the importance of the Western Sahara issue for you , your kingdom and all the populations who have suffered because of the conflict, I share your commitment to the UN-led negotiations as the appropriate framework leading to a mutually accepted solution, and I hope that Christopher Ross an experienced Diplomat, with a substantial experience in the area, will promote a constructive dialogue between parties concerned” he added : “ My government will work with yours and other parties in the Region , in order to achieve an outcome that meets the people’s need for transparent governance , confidence in the rule of law, and equal administration of justice”.

As to the US interests in the area, contrary to the Propagandist article which appeared on the pages of “world Tribune .com” last week, the US interests are ranging from the region strategic geographic position on the Mediterranean, to the economic opportunities and resources it offers to the US, in addition to the treaths posed by the increase of terrorism in the area of North Africa.

The new American administration is in the process of elaborating a policy by taking the lead in promoting a resolution to the WS conflict, based on the proposal of a large autonomy within Moroccan sovereignty now on the table at the UN, and supported by a bipartisan consensus in the US congress. This is the conclusion reached by " Potomac institute for policy studies" and " the Johns Hopkins University "in a 15 page report handed over to the White house and state department on the 31st march 2009 , titled : “ Why the Maghreb matters“.
As the Obama administration considers its priority in the Middle East and North Africa, President Obama× and his administration know that regional integration in North Africa will support the US interests, which are vital to the strategic pursuit of the region’s stability, security and economic aims, but regional integration can not be realized without resolving the WS conflict. Given the current position of The US administration, that substantial autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only realistic solution to encourage regional economy, and to increase counter- terrorism cooperation that will bring prosperity and opportunity to the peoples of the Maghreb, and security for US interests.

The article did not take into consideration the chronology of events concerning WS conflict, as the UN has come to the conclusion that a creation of state, or even a referendum is out of question, Kofi Anan made it clear and his special envoys agree with him. The international community including the most influential UNSC permanent members sees the Moroccan proposal as a very advanced form of self –determination , the United kingdom’s experience for instance is the most striking example as both wells and Scotland are enjoying a large autonomy which includes local parliaments and governments and even local currencies under the sovereignty of the United kingdom. As to the recent events in the region The UN secretary General’s personnel envoy Christopher Ross, expressed his optimism to the outcome of his latest visit to the area, especially that both Morocco and Polisario front supported by Algeria agreed in principle to held unofficial talks in Vienna during the coming days.

To conclude, although the Polisario will not stop its propaganda attempts to mislead the international opinion public, the fact of the matter is that The Moroccan proposal is in line with the international standards, and respects the regional specifities and the expectations of local populations; it is an open and constructive response to the expectations of the UN Security Council. Most of the world countries welcomed with interest the autonomy proposal, as to the United Nations the message was crystal clear, through its resolutions 1754,1783, and 1813 “welcoming serious and credible Moroccan efforts to move the process forward towards resolution”. The international community would like to see “entente” takes shape between all the parties; it does advocate political dialogue because it is the shortest path so that peace and harmony prevail in the North African country, and definitely the new American administration will follow suit , and will not advocate an independent state in the Maghreb region.

Obama’s letter to HM King denies alleged change in U.S. position on Sahara

2009-07-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

U.S. President Barak Obama stated in a letter on Friday, July 3 to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, that the United States and Morocco share the same values of peace, justice, progress and tolerance.

The letter of President Obama has been particularly devoted to two topics: the issue of peace in the Middle East and the role of Morocco for the continuation of the peace process, and the other hand, the conflict over Western Sahara, and the U.S. administration willingness to continue its efforts to resolve it.

Mr. Obama said in his letter, in response to a letter from His Majesty the King, that he shares the position of the Kingdom of Morocco, and believes that the United Nations is the appropriate framework for resolving the Sahara issue.
He expressed the hope that the UN Envoy in the region, Christopher Ross, will succeed in his mission.

"I share your commitment to the talks under the auspices of the United Nations as the appropriate framework to reach a mutually agreed solution, and I hope that Christopher Ross, a seasoned diplomat with wide experience in the region, will promote a constructive dialogue between the parties," President Obama wrote to His Majesty the King.

The U.S. President letter does not mention a change in the American position regarding the conflict over the Sahara. It does not support the emergence of any independent state in the Sahara region, or the holding of a referendum of self-determination, as has been claimed by the propaganda machine of separatism supporters.

However, President Obama believes in his letter to His Majesty the King, that Morocco is an effective mediator to bring views closer in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He reaffirmed in this regard, his confidence in the usefulness of the common Moroccan-American action to set up the foundations of successful negotiations for peace in the Middle East.
President Obama said he shared Morocco’s position on the usefulness of negotiations under United Nations auspices, to find a "mutually acceptable" solution to the Sahara issue, adding: "I hope I’ll have the opportunity to discuss with you all these issues and to work together to strengthen the historical relationship between Morocco and the United States. "
He added: "My government will work with yours and others in the region to achieve an outcome that meets the people's need for transparent governance, confidence in the rule of law, and equal administration of justice,".

In his commentary to the letter of U.S. President, the spokesman for the Moroccan government stated during a press briefing that followed the last Government Council that concerning the issue of territorial integrity of Morocco, "through this message there is a convergence between the position of U.S. President and the Moroccan approach that represents no contradiction with the Nation’s constants.»

Here follows full text of the letter of President Barak Obama:

Majesty, Thank you for your kind letter relating to improving relations between the United States and the Muslim world, and your concerns regarding Jerusalem and Western Sahara. I look forward to discussing with you all these issues and work together to strengthen the historical relationship between Morocco and the United States. I appreciate your commitment to strengthening the foundations of dialogue and mutual respect among nations and achieving peace in the Middle East, based on our shared beliefs. In Cairo, I expressed my willingness to work for a "fresh start" between the U.S. and Muslims around the World. I stressed out that we share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and dignity for all human beings. These principles should inspire us to reach a comprehensive peace that includes a two-state solution and prompt resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

As chairman of Al Quds Committee, you can help ensuring that its members act constructively towards achieving our common goals. I am confident that we can work together to establish the foundations of successful negotiations for peace for all peoples of the region. It is obvious that these negotiations can only succeed if we manage to convince the parties to engage in a constructive manner. I called everybody to fulfil their obligations. For Israel, this includes the suspension of settlements, the dismantling of outposts and the removal of road blocks. Regarding the Palestinians, this means that they should continue to strengthen their security forces to combat terrorism, stop incitement and reform their institutions for the creation of a Palestinian state. The Arab countries also have responsibilities: today more than ever, the Palestinian Authority needs the financial and political support from Arab countries to realize the vision of a lasting peace and fight attempts to undermine it.

The Arab countries should support the commitment of the Arab peace initiative to come up with gestures vis-à-vis Israel, with a view to ending its isolation in the region. I hope that Morocco, as in the past, will be a leader in promoting reconciliation between Israel and the Arab world. As I said in Cairo, if we succeed, Jerusalem could become a permanent and secure home for Jews, Christians and Muslims, a place where all Abraham’s sons can live together in peace.
I realize the importance of the Western Sahara issue for You, for Your Kingdom and for all peoples who have suffered because of this conflict. I share your commitment to the talks under the auspices of the United Nations as the appropriate framework to reach a mutually agreed solution, and I hope that Christopher Ross, a seasoned diplomat with wide experience in the region, will promote a constructive dialogue between the parties.

My Government will work with yours and other parties in the region to reach a solution that meets the needs of populations in terms of governance transparency, confidence in the rule of law and a fair administration of justice.

Finally, I appreciate your personal commitment to the promotion of dialogue between religions and cultures and I praise your efforts and those of your government to develop the links we need to face the challenges of the contemporary world ".
Source: Corcas - News concerning Western Sahara issue/ Corcas -

Polisario banks on impasse of Sahara issue to develop human trafficking

2009-06-03T03:06:00.000-07:00

Moulay Ahmed Mghizlate, member of Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS) said Tuesday in Geneva that the Algerian-backed Polisario build on the deadlock of the Sahara issue to develop their human trafficking business.

Addressing the 11th session of the UN Human Rights Council held under the theme: "Global economic crisis and its impact on migration and development", Mghizlate said the illegal immigrants are not only victims of the global economic downturn but also easy preys for human smugglers backed by the separatist groups such as the Polisario.

These criminal networks encourage and feed on human trafficking to line up their pockets as do the Polisario gangs which take advantage of the current stalemate of the Sahara issue to expand their thriving business of trafficking in persons, said the CORCAS member.
He also cited international reports saying that the Polisario connections with the human smugglers are growing and getting stronger.

Mghizlate sounded the alarm bell, calling on the international community to pay heed to the hovering danger of these criminal connections, which pose a serious threat to the stability of the region and the entire Mediterranean basin.

Moroccan Sahara proposal enjoys increasing support, Sudanese paper

2009-05-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Morocco's stance on the Sahara issue has been boosted by the increasing international support for the Kingdom's autonomy proposal, said Sudanese paper "Al Rai Al'am".

In a article entitled "the majority of U.S. Congressmen call Obama to support the Moroccan autonomy proposal," the paper noted that the proposal enjoys strong worldwide support from parties that consider it "the ideal and appropriate solution" for a conflict that has long lasted.

It also noted the current dynamic within the international community as well as the ongoing visits and initiatives in the region.

The paper cited the letter addressed by some 229 American representatives, Democrats and Republicans, to President Barack Obama, in which they expressed their concern over the "increasing threats by Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in North Africa."

"This letter reiterates the historical support of the Republican and Democratic parties within the Congress for the Moroccan proposal which was already backed by 173 Congressmen in a similar letter addressed to President Bush in 2007 ," the paper underlined.

According to the Sudanese paper, the persistence of this issue has security-related fallouts” for the countries of the region with the proliferation of extremist groups, noting that the polisario is part of this as it has links with these groups, which causes fears in the northern bank of the Mediterranean and Western countries in general.

Christopher Ross to tour the region as of Wednesday

2009-02-18T04:42:00.000-08:00

The new Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Sahara, Christopher Ross, kicks off a visit to the region on Wednesday.

"Following meetings in New York last week, including with the Secretary-General, Security Council members and the parties, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Christopher Ross, is on his way to the region for consultations, beginning tomorrow in Rabat," the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Michèle Montas, said Tuesday at a press briefing.

Ross, in his first visit to the area in his capacity as the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, will be in the region from Wednesday through 25 February, visiting Rabat, followed by Tindouf and Algiers, Montas said.

He will then travel to Madrid and Paris from 25-27 February, and is expected to return to New York following this trip for further consultations at Headquarters, she said.

The UN Secretary-General appointed the U.S. diplomat as his new personal envoy in January to "work with the parties and neighboring countries based on the most recent Security Council Resolution 1813 and previous resolutions, building on progress made to date, in pursuit of a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution."

Delegations of Morocco, Polisario, Algeria and Mauritania have taken part, since June 2007, in Manhasset, New York outskirts, in four rounds of negotiations on the Sahara under the aegis of the former UN facilitator, Peter van Walsum, whose mandate expired last August.

At the end of the latest round, the parties have committed to continue negotiations at a date to be set by common consent.

This process has been launched thanks to the autonomy initiative for the Sahara region submitted by Morocco. The initiative has been lauded by the UN Security Council and the entire international community as the outcome of serious and credible efforts to put an end to the regional dispute over the Sahara.

Airports in the Sahara

2009-01-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

Photo: Hassan I airport in Laâyoune

Since 1975, the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment and Transport has undertaken several extension and modernisation operations of the airport infrastructure in the Sahara region so as to adapt them to the needs of Sahrawi citizens. Thanks to air transport, the supplying of people with essential goods was secured (food, medicine, supplies). It has also facilitated managers ‘travel (doctors, engineers, teachers, civil servants, technicians) whose presence was necessary to carry out development efforts.Consequently, the achievements carried out between 1975 and 2006 are manifested as follows:

Autonomy proposal 'most likely solution' to Sahara issue, Welch

2008-12-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

The resigning US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Welch, said the autonomy initiative proposed by Morocco for its southern provinces is the "most likely solution" to settle the Sahara dispute, describing the proposal as "serious". "There is a proposal on the table from Morocco that we consider as a serious respond," Welch said in a meeting with the press in Washington, adding that "we, in the US, believe this is the most likely solution."

"The autonomy under Moroccan Sovereignty (...) will address the interest of the Saharan people," he stressed.

Touching on the situation in the Maghreb, Welch affirmed that "the issue we have to work on in the coming months and years is to improve the relations among the Maghreb countries."

The Maghreb includes Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
"It is hard to vision productive future in the region unless there is an improvement in the relation between Morocco and Algeria,” he said, noting that "we will hand off a positive file about the Maghreb to the new administration.”

The improvement of relations between the Maghreb states is dictated by security reasons, Welch stressed, warning that "what is happening in Mauritania and the continuing violence in Algeria is a great risk and could affect the area."

Hassani Poetry

2008-12-19T08:53:00.000-08:00

Hassani poetry is considered to be an integral part of popular poetry. Its differentia specifica lies in the fact that it is fraught with poetic meters that are measured by vowel articulation, ones which differ from each other in the way their syntactical constituents are made: ‘nasb’ (putting a noun in the accusative; or a verb in the subjunctive; ‘ghafd’ (putting a word in the genitive, for example); ‘raf’a’ (the pronunciation of a final word with a u) and ‘sukun’ (the vowellessness of a medial consonant). Some of these poetic meters, be it noted, are obsolete now.

The great professor and poet Badi Ould Mohammed Salem defined Hassani poetry thus: “it is a select type of talk taken from the common tongue and the local idiom. It is governed by certain rules that are in fact akin to the five rules of the Shari’ a (Islamic law); namely, the mandatory, the recommended, the permissible, the reprehensible and the forbidden.On the other hand, it is a form of prose that serves as the subject matter for the poet, who shapes up and weaves, so to say, and then thins it out in some corner. In some other corner, s/he would split it, and defame it so much so that s/he would cull from it a full-blown body that admits of no addition or diminution, one which takes up its position among all other creatures, having as it does beauty as well as ugliness and being as it is both long and short.

Like any other type of poetry, be it in dialectal or standard Arabic, Hassani poetry has its specific importance. And despite the fact that its writers take pride in its ability to go beyond the confines of standard poetry, vernacular Hassani poetry is fraught with terms in common use in standard Arabic, nay, with thoroughly meaningful sentences, in addition to lexical borrowings from other foreign languages, not to mention the fact that it draws on the Islamic religion, Quranic suras, prophetic sayings as well as on Arabic poetry that spans all ages.
Several people excelled in the writing of Hassani poetry. There is in fact a specific category of people who, in addition to the poets themselves, are adept at reciting this kind of poetry. These consist mainly of a group of singers who are in Hassani parlance called ‘Ikaoun,’ who, along with a number of eminent poets, engage in the criticism of poetry in order to sift good from mediocre Hassani poetry. One could in fact find some poets who learn by heart some poetry other than their own.

One of the difficulties that Hassani poetry suffers from is that it is scarcely recorded, which tosses it into confusion, distortion and loss. Such a situation, be it noted, obtains up to the present.

Sahara Religious Zawiyas

2008-12-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

The province of Smara is located at 11 degrees longitude and 26 degrees latitude. It is also at 110 meters above sea level. The province borders the province of Tan Tan and Assa Zag to the north, Boujdour and the Mauritanian border to the south, the province of El-Aaiun to the west and the Mauritanian border to the east. The province is crossed by two main roads, the first links it to El-Aaiun to the west and the second to Tan Tan and through the last to northern provinces of the Kingdom, through Guelmim, the door of the desert.
The province is distinguished by its rich historical and archaeological heritage, represented by numerous historic buildings and sites. Some of them date back to prehistoric times and other dates of the twentieth century. The strong presence of Sufi communities in the history of this province draws particular attention. This makes of it a region with great Zawyia concentration, especially on the line that goes from wadi Sakia El Hamra, wadi Draa to Ouyoune Aghman region. These Zawyia belong to the same Tarika Derkaouia community. Sheikh Sidi Ahmed Rguibi Zawyia
Sidi Ahmed Rguibi Zawyia nicknamed “Moul Elhabchi », is located at 120 km from the city of Smara, on the road linking wadi Sakia El Hamra, El Batnia, Aaklat Asdam, wadi Anabat, Aaridat Umm Bedouz, El Kaa, Kaat Echbabine, Fadrat Attamat, Aljanoubi Ahab and Ahab Achamali, then Attamat which leads to wadi Al Habchi.

Weather in Western Sahara

2008-11-25T04:06:00.000-08:00

The southern region of Morocco is characterized by a dry desert climate. In addition, Moroccan weather varies according to the visited zones. If the regions close to the sea or the ocean know a moderate climate, the Saharan area undergoes a very hot climate at daytime and cold at night.

The regions of the South cover a surface of 252.120 km square and form a number of plains and plates offering great relief uniformity, contrary to the Eastern Sahara surrounded by mountainous massifs. The structure of this relief, very worn because it emerged anciently, is relatively simple. We can distinguish 3 great general tendencies North-South.

• Reguibat dorsal, in the Eastern region, from Laguira until the South-east of the province of Smara. It is a plain made of Precambrian lands on which rock remains are accumulated. It is slightly dominated to the North by primary and cretaceous plateau covered by tertiary sediments and to the West by Gada plateau. Accidental surface waters formed closed basins or sebkhat (e.g. ldjil Sebkhat).

• the dominating the coastal plain, Gada, extends to the North until the Draâ valley and to the South until the 23rd parallel. Composed of limestones plateaus, the relief and rains cause very weak and occasional flow of wadis (rivers) whereas inside a transverse valley, Saguiat El Hamra flows almost every year. Towards the South, flow becomes increasingly rare.

• The coastal plain is made of tertiary and quaternary sediments; some isolated dunes and weak closed depressions (Sebkhat Tah) break the landscape monotony.

Western Sahara Conflict

2008-11-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

The Polisario Front, created in 1973, was named "Polisario", or the liberation front of Essaquia al Hamra and Oued Eddahab. The armed branch is called the Armée de Libération populaire sahraouie (ALPS) / Sahraoui Popular Liberation Army. The group of people who founded the Polisario consisted of young Moroccans of Sahraoui origin continuing their studies at Mohammed V University in Rabat.

Nevertheless, the misfortunes imposed on the creators of the Polisario cannot be ignored by anyone, especially those who themselves went through the same experience. It must always be recalled that they were a group of some thirty young university students all coming from Morocco's southern provinces, who decided to take destiny into their own hands.

At that time they took advantage of the Moussem being held in Tan-Tan to demonstrate in the tiny streets of this "city" which was not really one, and as they smashed the balance established over twelve years' time, the response wasted no time in coming. The Caïd of this district ordered the incarceration of these last minute trouble makers, and as there was no jail to speak of, a temporary facility was improvised and they were thrown into an attic of about 12 square meters in size, made of adobe and with only one low-lying narrow door and without windows in an atmosphere of intense heat. None could help recalling the tough life and the courage that led to this situation.

They lived like their mothers and fathers in incredible, degrading, debasing and inhuman conditions. In this tiny place there were no tarred roads, sidewalks, no running water, no sanitation, no electricity, no investment and, of course, no work. In a nutshell, could anyone say that this region was a part of the mother country? These noteworthy people, the sons of heroes and themselves members of the glorious national liberation army, who came to claim the fruits of their victory, from one day to the next were cooped up in attics without the slightest comfort, sleeping on the floor without rugs or even a mat, and under makeshift roofs.

They were able to survive by national aid thanks to the distribution of bags of flour, distilled to the last drop, and the irony is that the more one squealed on one's neighbor, the better one was seen and considered and less exposed to hunger. So farewell to dignity!!! It is in this state of abject misery that these brave warriors, their descendents and sometime their ascendants have been vegetating since the ECOUVILLON operation threw them into positions without hope of getting out.

Thousands came seeking freedom, happiness and peace in dignity. Alas, nothing of that was obtained, and it is in this world forgotten by all the local and regional authorities that these thirty university people tried to make themselves heard and make known the predicament of their social, economic, cultural and political situation! One must not underestimate the contempt and hate that the administrative authorities felt towards these young folks who came out of goodness knows where and who would neither submit or be resigned like their parents.

They were criticized for expressing their opinions and manifesting some disagreement with the dictates of the Caïd. How could they dare defy the power of the invisible governor construed as an untouchable edifice? How could they pretend that they had the audacity to say aloud what their families thought in secret? How did they get the courage of those without hope lifting up their heads to the shins of the local Khalifa? To cool off these "hot heads", nothing was better than to give them a good thrashing, and not by just anyone, especially not by a gendarme or policeman.

No, they did not deserve this privilege, better to suspend them, shut them up, deprive them from food, let them suffocate and suffer martyrdom while awaiting the arrival of the mobile Makhzen, stationed at more than two hundred kilometers to the north (at Bouizakarne) coming to torture and humiliate them, making them suffer the sharp burning and the pain of being defenseless, thrashed by those considered as the most inhuman and mediocre of the police force.
The younger and even youngest did not understand what happened as their only misdemeanor or, better said, their only crime was that one day they became more aware than their parents and on the eve of that catastrophe walked through the narrow street of the little township of Tan-Tan. They demonstrated so that Morocco could regain, or at least do something to regain its Sahara, the condition for improving this state of affairs considered to be unbearable and of the deepest despair. It is confronted by this incomprehension, this citizenship experienced like one of third class, that their revolt became destructive and devastating, that the hate became greater in their hearts and minds.

The most extreme, due to their lack of patience and because they were the most affected by the tenants of progressiveness, in other words those who were the most excited and attached to the ideology then current in our country, that is to say, the one seeking the destruction, attempting accelerate the pace of sudden change.

In a word, they were those who were incapable of distinguishing the chaff from the grain in the turmoil of the 1970s in Morocco. Those who didn't have the time with hindsight to discern what is tantamount in the exercise of power, to little local authorities, of what is the responsibility of the central government.

Those who were convinced that they were going to remain eternally misunderstood and decided to make themselves heard by the use of force. In short, the most idealistic who believed in world revolution by Che Guevara or Fidel Castro, decided to break with their past and the negation of their origins as well as those of their ancestors.

The order was given to the most vulnerable among them to disperse or disappear so as to escape from evening roundups, to meet with certain officials under different skies, to take revenge on their lost honor and to return to the hangman the blows that he had no qualms about inflicting, and that with good reason!! The person in charge of this cataclysm was quickly searched out, and at what level of the hierarchy was he?

The response left room for no doubt, the Khalifa is a nobody, as is the Caïd, the gendarme and policeman are not decision-makers nor are the poor Mokhaznis. As for the governor, he is "untouchable" and anyway the person no one wants to admit having seen or heard one day to bear witness to his actual existence, none of this staff can be held responsible for the misfortunes of this «human muddle ».

No, the responsible person is the one who allowed this vermin of local officials, act like lions in this desert, left to fend for himself. This responsibility can fall upon no other entity than Moroccan administration itself and must be accounted for by the entire system, by all those officials, all those representatives and generally by those who had the right and possibility of saying something about it!

So vengeance has to be taken against this State that was unable or worse, unwilling, to protect its most deprived citizens, while they can claim having been among the most faithful, and the decision became an ideal and even a myth, that unfortunately over time became an illusion giving rise to a full fledged nightmare. In the early 70s these young university people from the Sahara had legitimate political, economic and social demands. But they were domestic in nature and occurred in a strictly Moroccan framework.

These demands came to the fore at a difficult time in Moroccan history when the Government was facing tough external and internal pressure. It can be said without doubt, that at that time, i.e. during the 70s, there was no power or political forces in Morocco that could positively respond to a demand of a regional nature, as legitimate as it might be. At that time, Morocco was facing enormous internal and external challenges. Priorities were elsewhere, given the circumstances in that era.

They were marked by the antagonistic context of cold war, as well as continuous and interminable inter Arab conflicts. For this reason, a part of this group of Moroccan university people from the Sahara studying in Rabat, was moved by a spirit of vengeance, following the repression of the demonstration in Tan-Tan, the incarcerations, and ensuing ill treatment.

The ill treatment led these young university people to enter into alliances with other countries, in a context of the cold war and inter Arab and inter African conflicts. At that time such alliances were allowable.

These university students expressed their vengeance against their country of origin, in other words Morocco, from whence all their ancestors come. Their parents struggled tirelessly in the liberation army to free the country from the nation where these young people from the Sahara did their studies.

Their fathers defended with force Sultan Mohammed V and swore allegiance to his son, the late King Hassan II. A bit more discernment would have been necessary. Never to be forgotten was that the Moroccan authorities who during the demonstration in Tan-Tan in 1972, were the origin of the ill treatment, torture and persecution of these young university people; and also behind two attempted government overthrows. That is the picture of the great contradictions of Morocco in the 1970s.

Nevertheless, all these riots had no effect on the normal course of history, simply because the Sahara affair has to do with de-colonization between Morocco and Spain. Prior to coming under the protectorate of two colonial powers, France and Spain, Morocco had to gradually and in successive steps, recuperate the part of the territory under Spanish administration, beginning with the North and Tangier in 1956, Tarfaya and Tan Tan in 1958, Sidi Ifni in 1969 and the Sahara in 1975. This is written in course of history.

That was always the case with our neighbor and friend, Spain. All our conflicts with this country concerning the end of the protectorate were solved by negotiation and pacific arrangements. The adversaries of Morocco, who aided and abetted the conflict in the Sahara and opposed Morocco's territorial integrity, by funding and helping the Polisario, prepared in advance this opposition to Morocco.

This led to Algeria's acceptance of this movement on its territory in Tindouf, due to the differences existing at that time between Morocco and Algeria with regard to common borders and when Morocco signed an agreement with Spain in compliance with the historical relations that had always existed between the two countries.

Moreover, Morocco recovered its Sahara through negotiations and consensus, in accordance usual process followed with Spain. With Morocco having recovered is southern provinces, the Polisario found nothing better to do than to park the Sahraoui population in camps set up on Algerian territory, called refugee camps or sometimes referred to under fictitious names such and the camps of Laayoune, Smara, ’Aouserd, or Dakhla.The Polisario lied and manipulated the segment of the population placed in Tindouf, Algeria.

All Sahraouis know that in November and December 1975, the Polisario asked many people to attend the meetings in Gueltat Zemmour and when they came, they were asked them to organize another meeting in Bir Lahlou. After they were incited to come to Tindouf in view of trapping them and never letting them out. Unfortunately, mostly due to the lack of means of transport, they remained trapped in Tindouf and there they remain. Many realized that they were trapped and did everything they could to return home to Samara, Laayoune, Dakhla and Aouserd.

All Sahraouis know about that, at least those who were over 15 years of age at that time. The Polisario planned and carried out the setting up of camps on Algerian territory. Why did the Polisario create these camps and keep them adrift in territory that is not their own by taking hostage of people with no identity cards, restricted from freedom of movement? These populations are under surveillance night and day by the Polisario which recruits their children in schools where they are taught nothing but hate and despair.

One asks oneself what the humanly acceptable reasons are that let the heads of the Polisario hold people against their will in these camps for over thirty years now? What is the real objective? Are these people being used as bargaining chips? It is easy to conclude that without the existence of these camps, there never would have been a politico-military movement called "Polisario". The existence of the Polisario is connected to the very existence of these camps. But this policy can lead nowhere other than to simply drifting away.

The very existence of these camps on a hostile territory and in subhuman conditions over such a long period is a flagrant infringement of human rights. By what right is it possible to keep people living under tents for more than thirty years? By what right can people be kept from moving freely? By what right can children be recruited and inculcated with hate and despair? By what right can people be impeded from living just like everyone else? By what right can a part of the Sahraoui population be forced to live in camps? By what right can human misery be sold to international charitable organizations?

These are outright infringements on the most important human rights as they affect the very essence of humans and the right to choose and to seek fulfillment for one's self and for one's family. The Polisario has constantly and deliberately violated the most elementary human rights for over 30 years. For more than 25 years it has held Moroccan prisoners separated from their families and relatives in conditions of unbearable suffering.

Why does so much suffering have to be inflicted on these prisoners, who are human beings too? Why to have held them for more than 25 years in unlivable conditions and under the physical, psychological and moral torture that to the say the least, that implies?

Just so many questions and not even one justifiable reply.This movement was obliged to free them without any political counterpart.The Polisario then set up its Headquarters in Hassi Rabouni, in Tindouf and since 1976 has taken over the names of certain people without any legal, historical or legitimate foundations and without the slightest consultation of the Sahraouis themselves.

The Polisario is a political and military movement that has instituted a system similar to that which exited in ex-totalitarian countries with single party systems, sole institutions and structures, and sole bureaucracies with everything wrapped up in one-track thinking. It began armed control over the population using food aid as a tool for permanent blackmail and control of people in the camps by strict physical, psychological and moral domination akin to political commissaries for each activity and service.

The front instituted methods of denunciation as a method of control and permanent enlistment, or more particularly, brainwashing of both the young and adults, as well as the falsification of history and the manipulation of events and as a general rule teaching hate. The Polisario is the product of another era prior the collapse of the totalitarian system when the world began to see change starting 1991.

But it has remained apart from such changes: no free elections, no democracy, no plurality, no freedom of expression, no free opinions and no civil society. It totally clamped down on everything and partitioned off structures to make them seemingly last forever. All the political or politico-military type movements similar to the Polisario have disappeared from the world since the fall of the Berlin wall. Either they have chanted name or disintegrated by themselves, or they have created new structures corresponding to the new globalized, free and democratic world.

The Polisario, which considers itself independent, a so-called Democratic Sahraoui Arab Republic (RASD), while referring to the land liberated by Morocco in the Western Sahara as occupied territories. The so-called « RASD » is in flagrant contradiction with the request by the Polisaro for a referendum on self-determination. How can a referendum on self-determination by all Sahraouis be called and in advance to their desire and determination by creating an entity without the slightest moral, historical or democratic basis?

This refers to the processes followed by totalitarian and anti-democratic movements. The old and very well known rule answering in the name of the people, questions they were never asked. The unilateral proclamation by the Polisario of the « RASD » is in flagrant violation to international law. This tantamount to failure to respect the will of the people and the rules of democracy, as well as the deliberate and premeditated attempt to procure political gain by cheating and underhanded methods.

This is why the Polisario discredited the request for free self-determination of the Sahraoui people. It engaged in manipulation by replying in advance of the people themselves. It could never be said that it will respect what the Sahraouis will decide and respond in their place in advance. No one could say they are honest and respond in the place of others. One cannot claim weakness, and then cheat on the principles.

One cannot say that the right to self determination of people and to decide on their future freely without any pressure from any party whatsoever and discredit one's self by replying in advance that this is an issue that has not yet been dealt with. One cannot say that one is honest if one has cheated in advance. The « RASD » has no territorial existence, it is set up in Tindouf, Algeria and has no people, as the only one it disposes of are among the sequestered people in the camps, held and controlled to their great dismay; it is not the result of an election.

It has not attribute of sovereignty, exists only on Internet and in fictitious institutions on the territory of a foreign country. The Polisario, which has set up in Tindouf, fictitious institutions such as the Sahraoui government, the red crescent (CRS), the union of Sahraoui women, the Union of Sahraoui youth, and spare no effort in organizing on Algerian soil festivities commemorated under the names of: 27 February, 10 May, 20 May or the 12th of October.

Upon its creation, the Polisario appointed its first secretary general, Chahid el Ouali, who took over in the place of Mohamed Abdelaziz, thereafter called president, secretary general or chief of the Polisario. The front also managed to create propaganda media in support of these separatist ideas, i.e. the "Sahraoui press agency », (SPS), « Radio Sahara » and « Radio Polisario » dedicated body and soul to the absolute chimera of the Sahara. Indeed, after it lost the war and following failure of the referendum project, which incidentally is impossible to hold as all the borders have to be changed, the Polisario began to a say, to anyone willing to listen, that the Sahara is a territory occupied by Morocco and that this region is subjected to all the forms of political repression and violation of human rights.

The Polisario is absolutely in no position to preach to anyone else on human rights. Everyone knows that the borders in the northwest region of Africa, in particular with regard to the confines of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Mali were drawn with a ruler in conjunction with the sharing of these African territories between France and Spain.

The current borders are based on no logical or valid geographical, human or other criteria. It can be said without fault, that they are borders drawn arbitrarily at the time of the split up. This is the real reason behind the failure of the referendum project. Sahraouis are found not only in Morocco. The entire southwestern part of Algeria, from Bechar to the borders of Mauritania and Mali is a region peopled by Sahraoui tribes. The entire northwestern part of the territory of Mauritania is also, as is the far north of Mali between Timbuktu and the border with Algeria at Taoudenni.

For this reason, to hold a free, democratic, fair and honest referendum on self-determination allowing all Sahraouis to express an opinion on their future as promoted by the United Nations in its plan for an initial settlement indispensable for changing the borders of the four relevant countries, i.e. Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria and Mali, in such a way as the Sahraoui populations and their old and current historical geographical sphere could be determined. Such changes in borders are obviously impossible, illogical and irresponsible.

Therefore, a referendum on identification is also impossible to conduct. Any attempt at organizing one is a deliberate bid to lengthen the conflict and the unneeded suffering of the populations.

Along the same lines, the Polisario did not hesitate to create more completely fabricated institutions with the complicity of certain anti Moroccan individuals for diverse reasons, such as associations for friendship with the Sahraoui people, human rights associations, associations for solidarity with the Sahraoui people, associations for solidarity with the RASD, humanitarian aid associations, the Chahid el Ouali Association, the Oum Driga Association, the association of friends of the Western Sahara, or the friends of the Sahraoui people.

Although the United Nation Organization (UNO) has decided on the impossibility of organizing a referendum in the Sahara without changing borders, the Polisario resorted to inventing the issues of self-determination arguing that thereby, through the referendum, this could only lead to separatism. However, the UN Charter, the ultimate international jurisprudence, stipulates that self-determination must take account of the territorial integrity and unity, so autonomy remains one of the best solutions for self-determination.

This type of autonomy exists in the most highly developed Western countries across the world. For this reason, the international community pounded the Organization of African Unity (OAU)), accused of having deliberately violated international law by recognizing the so-called « RASD », like the institution that filled in for it, the African Union (UA) which also deviated from international law by recognizing an entity that was declared by a politico-military movement and not on the basis of a consultation by referendum.

On the other hand, the remainder of international organizations like the UN, non aligned countries, the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the European Union (EU), and the Asian Union categorically refused to reject international law and complied with the resolutions of the UN security council, in other words, the attempt to look for a political and consensual solution to the sterile conflict in the Sahara, through negotiation and dialogue. Indeed, this conflict impeded the construction of the Arab Maghreb Union, (UMA), hindering any form of agreement between the neighboring sister countries, Morocco and Algeria, while keeping Sahraoui families from returning home to live among their own.

It also created a center of tension in the northwest of Africa encouraged by the proliferation of human traffic, in particular in the form of clandestine immigration, weapons trafficking, drugs, the deviation of goods in the camps as well as the appearance of terrorism. The UN often sends to these camps delegations fro the World Food Program (WFP) and the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to inquire on the poor management and deviation of humanitarian aid coming from these institutions and the European Humanitarian Aid Organization (ECHO), in principle, intended for the camp detainees. Deviation of humanitarian aid has been confirmed by several international non-governmental organizations, in particular the « US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) », the Fondation France-Libertés and the European Strategic Intelligence And Security Center (ESISC).

These organizations several times have attracted the attention of the International Community on the phenomenon of deviation and its impact on the humanitarian situation of the populations held in the camps of Tindouf, in Algeria. In spite of this unfortunate affair, the Polisario could still come to a settlement and return to reason. It is of no use to be stubborn and remain in error. Extremists have never won out anywhere.

Today, history enables the Polisario to come to an agreement both honorable and to the advantage of our people and families. Today, history enables the Polisario to open the road to hope, to make people forget the suffering, the errors and moral failures of the past. Today, history offers a golden opportunity for the Polisario to accept the only solution possible, indeed the best one, i.e. political autonomy under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco. If it has the slightest bit of feeling or respect for the Sahraouis, it should readily seize this historic opportunity. The Polisario has to get out of the trap it finds itself in and must not serve the interests of anyone else or be used as a thorn in the sides of the Kingdom of Morocco to obtain political hegemony.

Western Sahara Issue

2008-11-19T07:07:00.000-08:00

This blog aims at sheding light on the issue of Western Sahara issue from its emergence up to date. It will contain information about the region as well as its social, cultural, political and economic aspects. I appreciate any comments or reactions on the information contained in this blog.

Warm Wishes

Sam Rock