TakingITGlobal - Panorama - The West Sahara...

Published on: Feb 22, 2011

Topic:

Type: Opinions

https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=30815

On November 2010, 20,000 Moroccan citizens living in the South of Morocco in the province of Laayoune, also called the Western Sahara, organized a camp called ''Akdim'' at a distance of 6.2 miles from the city. They installed 8,000 tents and decided to live there, as a way to protest and demonstrate to the Moroccan authorities that they were not satisfied with the lack of employment and housing that the government had to offer.
In fact, the Moroccan government did not intervene in their protest. In fact, the Ministry of Interior Affairs in Rabat, the capital, sent a delegation to find a suitable solution with the protestors. Soon after, the Moroccan Media publicized the news that the issue was solved because the government gave in to their demands, by supplying them housing and non-permanent salaries, the only condition being to remove the tents, and the breakdown of the camp. After getting what they wanted, the protestors immediately executed the removal of the tents. Nevertheless, armed man, said to be “Pro Polisario” prevented them from doing so.
The POLISARIO, Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of “Frente POpular de LIberación de SAguia el Hamra y RIo de Oro” (“Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro”) is a rebel national liberation movement waiting for the independence of the Western Sahara from Morocco. The truth is, that the Polisario Front is outlawed in Morocco. Since 1979, the POLISARIO is recognized by the United Nations as the representative of the people of Western Sahara. The Moroccan government has been struggling not only with the Polisario but even with Spain, for a long time in order to keep its territory and its people united, mostly in peaceful ways, and the Green March is the best evidence. The Green March was a mass demonstration organized in November 1975 to force Spain to hand over the Spanish province of the Sahara to Morocco. It was an unarmed demonstration, in which Moroccans held only pictures of the king and the Qur'an'.
Back to November 2010, the pro-Polisario people not only prevented the people from removing their tents, but even took them as hostages. As a result the Moroccan government took action on November 8th. Moroccan authorities fought the Polisario, which were very well equipped with Molotov cocktails, knives, swords and gas can. The main focus of the Moroccan government was to liberate the women, children and old people. As a result of the fighting, 11 elements of the Moroccan police were violently murdered. The Polisario did not stop right there. Their violence spread to the city displayed in some acts of vandalism and the spread of terror among the inhabitants of the city. Here is a link to Al Jazeera's report on the situation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD0NlRUfCqQ&feature=related . This will be resourceful only for those who understand Arabic, but for those who don't, the pictures and videos will be informing enough.
On the other hand, the Spanish and Algerian Medias (two countries in addition to Morocco and Mauritania involved in the Western Sahara issue) described this situation as genocide.

Saadia El Karfi

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by saadia
Published on: Feb 22, 2011
Topic:
Type: Opinions
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=30815


On November 2010, 20,000 Moroccan citizens living in the South of Morocco in the province of Laayoune, also called the Western Sahara, organized a camp called ''Akdim'' at a distance of 6.2 miles from the city. They installed 8,000 tents and decided to live there, as a way to protest and demonstrate to the Moroccan authorities that they were not satisfied with the lack of employment and housing that the government had to offer. In fact, the Moroccan government did not intervene in their protest. In fact, the Ministry of Interior Affairs in Rabat, the capital, sent a delegation to find a suitable solution with the protestors. Soon after, the Moroccan Media publicized the news that the issue was solved because the government gave in to their demands, by supplying them housing and non-permanent salaries, the only condition being to remove the tents, and the breakdown of the camp. After getting what they wanted, the protestors immediately executed the removal of the tents. Nevertheless, armed man, said to be “Pro Polisario” prevented them from doing so. The POLISARIO, Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of “Frente POpular de LIberación de SAguia el Hamra y RIo de Oro” (“Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro”) is a rebel national liberation movement waiting for the independence of the Western Sahara from Morocco. The truth is, that the Polisario Front is outlawed in Morocco. Since 1979, the POLISARIO is recognized by the United Nations as the representative of the people of Western Sahara. The Moroccan government has been struggling not only with the Polisario but even with Spain, for a long time in order to keep its territory and its people united, mostly in peaceful ways, and the Green March is the best evidence. The Green March was a mass demonstration organized in November 1975 to force Spain to hand over the Spanish province of the Sahara to Morocco. It was an unarmed demonstration, in which Moroccans held only pictures of the king and the Qur'an'. Back to November 2010, the pro-Polisario people not only prevented the people from removing their tents, but even took them as hostages. As a result the Moroccan government took action on November 8th. Moroccan authorities fought the Polisario, which were very well equipped with Molotov cocktails, knives, swords and gas can. The main focus of the Moroccan government was to liberate the women, children and old people. As a result of the fighting, 11 elements of the Moroccan police were violently murdered. The Polisario did not stop right there. Their violence spread to the city displayed in some acts of vandalism and the spread of terror among the inhabitants of the city. Here is a link to Al Jazeera's report on the situation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD0NlRUfCqQ&feature=related . This will be resourceful only for those who understand Arabic, but for those who don't, the pictures and videos will be informing enough. On the other hand, the Spanish and Algerian Medias (two countries in addition to Morocco and Mauritania involved in the Western Sahara issue) described this situation as genocide. Saadia El Karfi « return.