SOUTH-AFRICAN WOMEN REAFFIRM THEIR SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY WITH THEIR SISTERS IN WESTERN SAHARA

The National Union of  Saharawi Women´s International Officer, Suelma Beiruk, has just been received in the South-African capital by the President of the ANC´s Women´s League who has reaffirmed their support and solidarity with the people and women óf the Africa´s last colony: Western Sahara.
The President of the ANC Women's League and Minister of the Basic Education, Ms. Angie Motshekga, renewed last friday the firm support of her country to the just cause of the Saharawi people, according to the Saharawi Embassy in South Africa.

During her meeting with a Saharawi delegation at headquarters of the SADR Embassy in Pretoria, Ms. Motshekga confirmed that the supporting position of her country “stayed in the past and will remain in the future”
She saluted struggle of the Saharawi women, considering it a “unique example of resistance in the world”
The president of the ANC Women's League welcomed her invitation to attend the Saharawi women´s  conference which is scheduled next April 20th to 24th, adding that it will certainly be an “occasion to strengthen the close ties between the ANC women's league and UNSW”
 Mrs. Suelma Beiruk briefed struggle of the Saharawi women in the refugee camps occupied territories of Western Sahara, as well as the next congress of Saharawi women.
The meeting also focused on the latest developments of the Saharawi cause and bilateral relations between the peoples and governments of both countries.

SAHARAWI WOMEN CONMEMORATE THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN´S DAY

The Saharawi Women as the majority female all over the world have conmemorated the International Women´s Day with different activities.

Western Saharan Women not only those that are living in the refugee camps but also those whom are ressisting the moroccan military occupation and those who are living abroad have celebrated this important day not only because this year is the centenary of the official declaration of the International Women´s Day but also because in an anniversary of the first saharawi martyr: Bachir Lehlawi.

This pictures were taken in a conmemoration of the International Women´s Day celebrated in the spanish capital, Madrid, where the saharawi human rights activist, Digdja Lachgare, has been invited by a spanish NGO. In such event, Mrs. Lachgare has given her personal experience of suffering due to her more that twelve years of imprisonment in the moroccan prisons and she has spoken about the flagrant violations of human rights in the occupided cities of Western Sahara and she launched an urgent appeal to the international opinion to put pressure on the moroccan government for stopping in its repressive policy and to respect the international resolutions and the human rights in the occupided cities of Western sahara and to release all the saharawi prisoners of conciousness.

The Saharawi Women as the majority female all over the world have conmemorated the International Women´s Day with different activities.

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This year marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. The day was commemorated for the first time on 19 March 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, following its establishment during the Socialist International meeting the prior year. More than one million women and men attended rallies on that first commemoration.

Since then, International Women’s Day has been celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.

Saharawi women are known by her example of emanipation and empowerment in the arab and muslim world and they wish to strenghthen the ties and relationship with all the women´s organizations and all the peace loving countries for struggling together for a just a peaceful world.

SAHARAWI WOMEN CONDEMN THE MOROCCAN BRUTAL REPRESSION IN OCCUPIDED DAKHLA

The Association of Saharawi Women in Spain (AMSE) expresses its strongest condemnation of the acts of vandalism carried out by moroccan settlers against the Saharawi civilians in the occupied city of Dakhla. According to eyewitnesses who have been in telephone contact with AMSE, affirmed us that on the night of Saturday, February 26, thousands of Moroccan settlers, escorted by numerous Moroccan army vehicles have assaulted the neighborhoods where the Sahrawi population living mostly by burning private cars, burglarizing homes and businesses and creating a true chaos in the occupied city of Dakhla, generating a real situation of terror and forcing the helpless Saharawi population to leave the city, fleeing into the desert for protecting themselves against the brutal repression of the moroccan settlers.

While the Saharawi people was celebrating with joy and happiness the trirty-fith anniversary of the proclamation of the Saharawi State: the Saharawi Republic, the moroccan occupation authorities tried once again, undermines the cultural identity of Western Sahara and misrepresent the true social and political situation faced by Western Sahara. All this atrocity occurred while the Sahrawi people organized a festival in the city of Dakhla and at the end of the members of the Moroccan occupation launched this wave of settler violence against civilians Moroccan Sahara.

 Saharawi Women take the opportunity to make an urgent appeal to all the peace loving countries and the whole  international community, that under the new changes that are being generated against dictatorial regimes especially in North Africa, to put pressure on the Moroccan government to respect the international law and particularly human rights in occupied Western Sahara.

RFK CENTER REAFFIRMS GREAT VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS

The Women from the Africa´s last colony, Western Sahara, express their satistaction for the recent report of the prestigous R.F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights where the american institution reaffirmed that in the occupied cities of Western sahara the moroccan authorities still comiting human rights abuses persist in wake of November unrest.

Based on dozens of interviews, this report documents human rights abuses inflicted by Moroccan government forces against civilians during the dismantlement of the Gdaim Izik protest camp in November 2010, and in its aftermath.

In January 2011, a delegation of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights traveled to Western Sahara to visit 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Laureate, Aminatou Haidar. Led by Haidar, the delegation examined human rights violations allegedly committed by Moroccan security forces against Sahrawis. The delegation met with more than two dozen victims of abuse, torture, and imprisonment and their families, in addition to Moroccan government officials and representatives of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

According to the findings of the report, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, failure to follow criminal procedures, and repression of civilians by Moroccan government forces are all too common in Western Sahara. This context, in concert with the violence that broke out on November 8, 2010, when Moroccan security forces dismantled the Gdaim Izik camp set up by residents of Western Sahara to protest social and economic discrimination, reinforces the need for impartial international human rights monitoring of the situation.

EOROPEAN TRADE UNIONS CONDEMS GREAT VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS

The Women from Western sahara express their total support to the report released these days of a mission of the European most representative trade unions where they have denounced the holding in the Moroccan prisons of hundreds of Saharawis have been arrested by the Moroccan occupying forces last November in Western Sahara.

Eight unions from different European countries, including Italy, who had stay in the capital city of Western Sahara, ilegally occupied by moroccan army, El-Aaiún, from 23 to 25 January, have published their report in which they denounce great abuses of human rights against the peaceful Saharawi population.

"The objectives of the mission were to show the international solidarity to Western Sahara workers and to the Sahrawi people, and be directly in touch with the current situation of the Sahrawi occupied territories by Morocco," the trade union´s report affirms in its joint communiqyé that have been published on monday, january 30th, in the italian capital, Rome.

Saharawi Women launch an urgent appeal to the international community and the European Union to put pressure on the moroccan government to respect the human rights in the occupied Western Sahara and the United Nations´s resolutions on this problem of decolonization.

MOROCCAN REGIME STILL VIOLATING HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE OCCUPIDED WESTERN SAHARA

The Saharawi Women express their deep concern about the continuing violation of human rights in the occupided cities of Western sahara as are a lot of the NGOs and Human Rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International´s reports are confirming the great vilations of human rights in the oc saharawi cities occupided by the Kingdom of Morocco for over thirty-five years ago.

Sahrawi defender of human rights Izzana Amidan, 31, confirmed, in an audio testimony after she was provisionally released some weeks ago, she was tortured and ill-treated.

She was subjected to severe beatings, insults, verbal abuse and practices degrading to human dignity. She was also interrogated by various Moroccan intelligence services at the so-called prosecutor s office in the center of gendarmerie in the occupation city of El Aaiun, on charges of participation in the camp of Gdeim Izik.

The human rights activist had been arbitrarily arrested Saturday by the police officers of the Moroccan occupation, before being released temporarily pending her appearance again in front of the so-called investigating judge February 28, with a view to her interrogation.

On the other hand, two Sahrawi activists, Kaltoum Lebsir and Mariam Bourhim, arrested Sunday at the airport in Casablanca (Morocco) on their return from South Africa, have also been provisionally released Wednesday until March 24.

WE FULLY SUPPORT THE NEW CAMPAIGN: "DON´T GO TO MOROCCO"

The Saharawi Women fully support the new campaign on visiting and doing turism in a country like Morocco whom is daily violating the most basic human rights and is ilegally occupating Western sahara for over thirty-five years.

Following the Moroccan government’s announcement last Tuesday that it plans to double its tourism in the next 10 years activists today launched a new campaign aimed at highlighting human rights abuses in occupied Western Sahara and asking tourists to boycott holidaying in Morocco.

The new action dubbed "Don’t Go to Morocco" was launched in London today by the Western Sahara Campaign and the Free Western Sahara Network at a meeting in Piccadilly. A handful of dedicated campaigners then braved freezing temperatures outside Morocco’s main tourism office in Regents’ Street and the offices of Royal Air Maroc in Gosfield Street handing out leaflets detailing the discrimination, abuse and violence suffered by the native Saharawi population under Morocco’s 35 year occupation of their country.

Earlier this week Moroccan tourism minister Yassir Znagui unveiled a tourism development plan which would see the expansion of tourism over the next decade in eight regions including Western Sahara.

Morocco annexed Western Sahara after Spain pulled out of its former colony in 1976, and despite widespread international criticism and numerous United Nations resolutions requiring a referendum on self-determination the referendum has yet to be held.

Cities on Western Sahara’s Atlantic coastline such as Dakhla will be developed into thriving tourist destinations. This announcement comes just weeks after violent clashes in Western Sahara which resulted in several deaths, over one hundred injuries and many arrests.

A report from Human Rights Watch last Friday found that Saharawi detainees had been beaten and abused. The violence in El Aaiun has been condemned by the United Nations Security Council and last week the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for an independent UN investigation into the violence. This call has so far been rejected by Rabat.

“Western Sahara is a beautiful place but whilst the brutal occupation continues we do not feel it is an appropriate tourist destination", said Natalie Sharples of the Western Sahara Campaign.

"The Saharawi people face daily discrimination with those daring to challenge the occupation facing detention, abuse and torture. If holiday-makers knew about the situation in Western Sahara we are confident that many would chose to holiday elsewhere."

Cathy Jamieson, MP for Kilmarnock & Loudoun agreed. “Raising awareness of what has been happening over the years of Moroccan occupation is vital, particularly in light of recent events. Every effort must be made to get a fair and just solution for the Saharawi people and hopefully this campaign will show the real strength of feeling" she said.

Whilst Morocco will no doubt continue to be a popular tourist destination the campaigners hope that their slogan “sun, sea, sand and torture” may well put some people off holidaying in Western Sahara.

WE STRONGLY CONDEMN THE NEW MOROCCAN AGGRESSION AGAINST PEACEFUL SAHARAWIS

The Women from the Africa´s last colony: Western Sahara express their strongtest condemnation to the brutal and criminal intervention of the moroccan army and settlers against the saharawi citizens in the Gdeim Izik Camps, situated from 18 kilometers from the saharawi capital, Laayoune.

At least one Sahrawi, Mahmoud Babi Gargar, was killed and hundreds were injured after a brutal intervention by Moroccan forces early this monday´s morning, november 8th, against defenseless Saharawis in the Gdim Izik camp (Camp Liberty).

Sources from the occupided saharawi capital affirmed that he forcible intervention committed earlier Monday by Moroccan forces against the Saharawis in the Gdim Izik camp left at least one Saharawi killed and hundreds were injured and moroccan army and settlers entered to saharai houses.

The Saharawi women and the whole poeple of Western Sahara  warned that the situation was going to become became extremely serious several days ago in Laayoune and has erupted since today´s morning after the new escalation of the moroccan army and settlers where several international press agencies have reported that more than ten saharawis have died among them Mahmoud Babi Gargar, who was 26years old and killed by  moroccan occupider forces.

This despicable and tragic assassination, is repeated by the occupation forces following the intervention of the units of the Moroccan army, gendarmerie and auxiliary forces against the Sahrawi population, who are since the beginning of last October, left their homes and camping in Gdim Izik (17 km east of the city of Laayoune) to demand their rights.

The Saharawi Women  denounce strongly this criminal action of the moroccan army and settlers  against the peaceful people of Western Sahara and, we launch an urgent appeal to the international public opinion and all world´s organizations for defending human rights and for intervening to put an end to the repressive campaign against the peaceful saharawi population in the occupided cities which are under moroccan occupation since thirty five years ago.

SAHARAWI WOMEN IN THE 36TH EUCCOCO

As every year, an important delegation of Saharawi Women, from the occupided cities, also from the Refugee Camps and other parts, has partipated in the 36th European Coordianating Conference of Support to the Saharawi People which have just concluded its works in the french city of Le Mans.

This important event, the 36th European Coordinating Conference of Support to the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO) wrapped up Sunday by the adoption of a final resolution in which the participants renewed support to the right of Sahrawi people to self-determination.

The participants praised the "permanent effort" of the Algerian Committee for Support and Solidarity with Sahrawi People (CNASPS) for its support to the legitimate claims of Sahrawis, and also welcomed the setting-up of an international Latin-American conference of Support for Sahrawi people, and promised to help them achieve concrete results.

They also agreed on goals to be achieved to enhance and diversify solidarity operations and working methods to raise abilities of militants and their organizations to contribute to “ the implementation of the inalienable rights of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence,”

The participants charged the working group of the EUCOCO to quickly find and deploy schedule and joint program coordinating on the international level.

The political, human rights and media issues took most time of the conference where the workshop of human rights decided to take many masseurs to develop its strategy of work to impose respecting human rights in Western Sahara.

Emergency program for the next two months has been adopted towards the occupied Saharawi territories especially “camps of independence” including visit of medical delegation and European parliamentarians and visits by representatives of several institutions, journalists, solidarity movement and civil society.

To support these decisions a creation of active “lobby” will begin towards UN, EU, France and Spain through letters, demonstrations and meetings

Lawyers have invited to join trails of Saharawi human rights defenders especially the trail of the Seven Saharawi political prisoners in Sale scheduled on November5.

It was also agreed on a program towards UN Human Rights Council and UN Security Council with need to find out a mechanism for monitoring and protecting human rights particularly the right of self-determination.

The participants began with group of jurists to study laws in favor of the Saharawi people to guarantee respect of human rights of Saharawi exodus toward “camps of independence”

Concern the media, the participants agreed to find ways to correct lies of Morocco and to promote media that could reflect the Saharawi reality

Regarding the natural resources of Western Sahara, the participants stressed on the need to demand EU to cancel its partnership agreement and fishing agreement with Morocco.

Finally the Participants decided to hold the 37th European Coordinating Conference of Support to the Saharawi People next year in Spanish Capital, Madrid.

SAHARAWI WOMEN IN THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON ISLAMIC FEMINISM

Four women from Western Sahara have participated in the Fourth International Congress of Islamic Feminism which have just held in the spanish capital, Madrid, from October 21st to 24th.

The Saharawi Women´s delegation have activally taken part in all the different workshops and also could transmitted the message of peace and justice from what it is considered the last Africa´s colony people and specially in these days where the situation is very worried due to the brutal repression of the moroccan occupider army has brutally repressed the peaceful people in the main saharawi cities.

The Saharawi Women delegation in this important event was composed by Zahra Ramdán Ahmed, Soukeina N´Diaye (Gleiyilhum Buna), Zahra El-Hasnawi and Doctor Lehdia Dafa.

The International Congress on Islamic Feminism is an initiative of the Catalan Islamic Council (JIC). Through the conferences, the intent of the JIC has been to present Islamic Feminism (IF) as an emerging reality, with a strong intellectual development and a significant activism in pursuit of the rights of Muslim women. We have tried to maintain a balance between the theoretical and field experiences, including the development of a discourse generated in the academy, and ways to implement the propositions of IF in different contexts.

To date there have been three editions of the conference (Barcelona, 2005, 2006 and 2008), and the fourth is scheduled for 2010, in Madrid. More than 1300 participants have attended the conferences. The Congress has brought together some of the most prestigious and charismatic personalities of IF, as well as prominent organizations from the five continents. The media coverage of these conferences has helped to visualize IF as a emerging reality worldwide.

MRS. HAIDAR CANDIDATE FOR THE "SAKHAROV AWARD"

The women from Western Sahara would like to congratulate our compatriot Aminatou  Haidar for been candidate once again in one of the most important awards that the European Parliament gives to relevant personalities of human rights defenders from all over the world.

The Saharawi human rights activist, Aminatou Haidar, has nominated to the Sakharov Prize for human rights granted by the European Union for her commitment to defend human rights in Western Sahara, according to a source from the occupied city of El Aaiun.

The Saharawi activist was nominated within nine institutions and international figures for this Prize, to select one of them October 21 in a public meeting of the EU Parliament.

Aminatou Haidar won many awards in the field of human rights by international organizations, including Robert F. Kennedy Foundation of America, Juan Maria Bandres for Human Rights and Solidarity with the Refugees as well as Khobelano Prize of "resistance and freedom".

She also engaged in various indefinite hunger strikes which put her under the harassment and detained of the Moroccan authorities, where she adopted by many international organizations as a prisoner and political activist for defending the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence.

It is note worthy that the Saharawi activist held November14, 2009 an indefinite hunger strike in the Spanish airport of Lanzarote for 32 days on the ground of her forcibly deportation by the Moroccan authorities from the occupied city of El Aaiun.

SAHARAWIS CELEBRATES THE INTERNATIONAL PEACE DAY

Today, September 21th, The Saharawi people celebrates the International Peace Day. The Saharawi Women express their total support to the Saharawi Government´s decision on conmemorating every year the date: september 21th, as the International Peace Day , as an expressión of the whole people of western Sahara to their peaceful will of solving the conflict of what is considered as the Africa´s last colony due to the illegal occupation of the moroccan army to Western Sahara.

The Saharawi Press Agency (SPS) informs: The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic has decided on Sunday to commemorate the International Day of Peace declared by the United Nations which falls Sept 21, in accordance with its obligations as a founder member of the African Union, according to a statement of the SADR Presidency.

The statement asked all the national bodies and institutions as well as citizens to exert maximum efforts in order to create the best conditions of cooperation, seriousness and commitment for implementing all the activities, in line with the SADR standing and responsibility within the AU to contribute for security and peace in Africa and the world.

The SADR decided to mark this Day by a number of activities and events, including hosting the AU flag besides SADR flag on the national institutions and observe a minute of silent for peace at 10:00 am GMT, 11 o’clock on the local time, visit the Saharawi victims of war in center of Shraif Martyr, developments works by members of the armed forces and multiple voluntary campaigns

According to the same source, the Day will also be known the organization of a football game under the slogan “one day and one goal”, in addition to teaching a lesson of peace in all SADR national schools, ensure complete coverage to all day’s activities by the national media as well as organize lectures and media platforms.

The International Day of Peace was ratified in the AU decision on the year of peace and security in Africa by the XIV Ordinary Session of the AU Conference held February 2010 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the conference of “make peace happen” which adopted by the XV Ordinary Session of the AU Conference July 2010 in Kampala, Uganda.

OUR SUPPORT TO ALI-SALEM TAMEK´S GROUP

The Women from western Sahara express their total supportt and solidarity with the so-called Ali-Salem Tamek´s Team who are a group of very well-known saharawi human rights activists who are in moroccan jails since nearly one yera ago.

We, the Saharawi Women support their just struggle and ask for their unconditioned release because we are sure that they haven´t committed any crime and they are  accussed by the moroccan government only because they have visited their family and their people in the Saharawi Refugee Camps.

Today, septermber 13th, the have published the following statement:

We, three Saharawi human rights activists who’ve been in jail for over 11 months without being charged nor tried, have decided to start a 48 hour hunger strike on 15 September 2010. We demand a either a fair trial or their unconditional release.

On April 28, 2010, we suspended our open-ended hunger strike which lasted forty-one days, as a response to the commitment of the Moroccan authorities to put an end to our emprisonment (the temporary release of three of our comrades was part of that commitment), which we considered as a positive sign and a first step towards ending our arrest for expressing our opinion in peaceful ways.

However, the continuation of our arrest against the urgent demand of all the Moroccan and international human rights organisations and international public opinion, which call for our release without any condition embodies the Moroccan authorities blind revenge of our group because of our opinions and our human rights and civil activities.

In contradiction to the international law that guarrantees the right to fair trial in logic and acceptable periods of time, the Moroccan authorities have neither started the preparations for our trial despite the 11 month-period of our emprisonment nor have they yet decided to release us.

Thus, we call all the democracy advocators, the human rights organisations in the world to support us in order to exert pressure on the Moroccan state to release all the human rights defenders and political prisoners in different Moroccan prisons.

The three Sahrawi prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders,

- Ali Salem Tamek, prison number 50010

- Brahim Dahane, prison number 50014

- Hammadi Naciri, Prison number 50015

September 13, 2010

The Local Prison of SaléSalem Tamek´s Group who

OUR TOTAL SOLIDARITY WITH PHOS-BOUCRÁA´S SAHARAWI WORKERS

Saharawi Women express their support and solidarity with PHOSBUCRÁA´s workers in their claims and peaceful demosntrations in the saharawi´s capital: L´Aayoune where these days have organized peaceceful demonstrations in front of MINURSO´s headquarters in the capital of Western Sahara.

The Saharawi Press Service (SPS) has published the following information:

Dozens of arrested and expelled Saharawis from FOS-Bukraa Company in the occupied city of El Aaiun have appealed to the UN mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to urgently intercede with the Moroccan Government for the actual settlement of their files.

In a statement on monday, september the 6th, the FOS-Bukraa Company workers denounced a violent repression of a protest that they organized in the occupied city of El Aaiun, holding the Moroccan administration responsible for the miserable situation which Saharawis live in the territory.

The Moroccan forces of occupation violently intervened to prevent the peaceful demonstration called for by Sahrawi Confederation for Saharawi Workers, which called on the UN Secretary General and the international community to urgently intervene to protect Saharawi workers and citizens and enable them to their confiscated rights.

The statement demanded the settlement of their seized rights according to the contract concluded between Saharawi workers and the Spanish company, involvement of the UN mission to facilitate settling the file and applying pressure on the Moroccan Government in this regard, and compelling Morocco to respect international treaties and conventions by the international community.

SAHARAWI WOMEN CONDEMN THE BRUTAL REPRESSION AGANIST THE 14 CANARIAN ACTIVISTS

The Saharawi Women express their most forceful comdenation to the brutal repressión of the moroccan occupied police and settlers against fourteen spanish activists from the Canary Island (located in front of Western Sahara) when they were participating in a peaceful demostration in the capital of our country: L´Aayoune, las week-end.

Last tuesday, August 30th, the 14 Spanish activists attacked in  El Aaiun made a press conference after their arrival to the Canary Islands and attested that the situation in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, under which the Saharawi people live, as a huge prison.

“Western Sahara is like a huge prison, where the people live under a climate of continued repression,” According to the testimony of one of the activists, Sara Mesa, upon arriving in Spain.

The activists arrived at the port of La Luz, where they were awaited by a group of 50 supporters with banners and posters for the Saharawi cause. The boat with 14 activists who were arrested and beaten by Moroccan police last Saturday arrived at the Port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The boat belongs to "Pro-Saharawi Sahara Acciones."

In the port waiting was a group of supporters who waved placards calling for the creation of a free and democratic referendum in what was the last colony of Spain in Africa and that has been occupied for more than 35 years by Morocco.

According to the testimony of Anselm Fariña "They attacked us without warning, individually administering straight punches to the kidneys and the face. They insulted us and spit on us without stopping. Some colleagues estimate that there were more than a hundred plainclothes police officers. Several of them followed us from our entry into the territory and even on the journey back."

"Nobody cared about what was happening in the occupied territories. Reports reached us that many Saharawi women and children were beaten and the result was many injuries and many faces bloodied. We wanted to denounce the repression suffered by the Saharawi people and we ended up surviving it in our own bodies," adds Anselmo Fariña, a professor from the island of Tenerife.

Members of the group announced their intention to denounce the brutal treatment by the Moroccan police in these incidents. The group of fifty militants who received them and the returning 14 activists shouted loudly: "Guilty Morocco, responsible Spain" and "Sahara Libre (free Sahara)."

SAHARAWI WOMEN CONDEMN THE REPRESSION AGAINST INTERNATIONAL OBSSERVERS

The Executive-Board of the Saharawi Women´s Association in Spain (AMSE) has hold an important meeting these days in which has discussed about the NGO´s future activities and also the current situation in Western Sahara and has published a new press release in which expresses the following:

The Saharawi Women Association in Spain (SWAS) expresses its strongest condemnation for the abuses suffered at the hands of the moroccan police against the international observers: three spanish citizens: Elizabeth Terrace, Pilar Fortuño, Emma Pomar and his partner, a Mexican citizen, Antonio Velazquez, in the Aaiún, Western Sahara.

As indicated by various medios and testimonies, the international observers were as tourists who "were visiting friends", the home of the famous Saharawi human rights activist, Ali Hammad Hmad, who returned from an International Conference on Human Rights hold in the capital Algeria, Algiers, organized by the Summer University of Boumerdass. In the incident in the occupied capital of Western sahra, El-aaiún, were also injured the saharawi human rights activists: Hmad Ali Hammad, Soultana Kheya and Brahim Sabbar.

Also, as denounced by the Spanish citizens were mistreated "threw us on the ground and stomped and spat on us" not only physically but they remained in a sort of "house arrest."

According to statements made by the Mexican Antonio Velázquez to Europa Press, the group moved to the headquarters to the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in the Aaiún to lodge a complaint about his treatment by the Moroccan Gendarmerie and the Army since 22 August.

The Saharawi Women want to express our unconditional solidarity with all human rights activists who are imprisoned under systematic torture, to be part of peaceful resistance to the illegal Moroccan occupation and denounce the violation of human rights.

Also, since SWAS has launched, once again, an urgent appeal to all democratic governments of the world, especially the spanish one and all the human rights organizations to deploy their good offices for the Kingdom of Morocco to respect scrupulously the Rights Human in the occupied cities of Western Sahara, as you can see this vicious assault, is not only against the Saharawi population in the occupied cities living under a system of repression but also against international observers.

SAHARAWI WOMEN CONDEMN THE BRUTAL REPRESSION

Saharawi Women express their most vigorious condemnation to yesterday´s brutal repression perpetrated by the moroccan army against peaceful saharawi citizens whom were going to celebrate the returning of another group of Saharawi human rights activists who have just visited the Saharawi Refugee Camps (South-east Algeria).

Moroccan security services arrested Sunday and Monday in the occupied city of El aaiún dozens of Sahrawi citizens, while dozens others suffered injuries of varying degrees of severity, including four members of the delegation of human rights activists which was on a visit to the  refugee camps.

The occupied city of Al Ayun is currently under a tightened security blockade, imposed by various Moroccan intelligence services and police to prevent Sahrawi population from meeting with the delegation of Independence Intifada, after their return to the city, according to identical human rights sources.

The same sources indicated banning at least 20 Sahrawi people from meeting with the delegation of Sahrawi activists and that some of them have been subjected to attacks, resulting in injuries of varying degrees of severity.

It should be recalled that the delegation of human rights activists had expressed, pendig to their visit to the Sahrawi refugee camps, their fear of reprisals by the security services of the Moroccan occupation, as they returned.

¡GOD BLESS OUR LEADER: MR. MAHFOUD ALI-BEIBA!

The Saharawi Women, the entire people of Western Sahara and also their millions of friends all over the world express their deep condolences to the whole Ali-Beiba´s family and to the saharawi people for the death of the President of the saharawi parliament, Mr. Mahfoud Ali-Beiba who died last friday, July 2nd 2010 at his home in the saharawi refugee camps.

The funeral of the President of the Saharawi National Council, Mahfoudh Ali-Beiba, was held on sunday morning, july 4th, in the cemetery in the wilaya of Smara.

After the prayer of death, the deceased was buried in the presence of the President of the Saharawi Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, members of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front, Members of  Parliament, Government, Advisory Council, High Council of Justice and Sahrawi civil and military senior officials, who had come to pay their last tribute to the deceased.

Delegations from Algeria, MINURSO and international organizations and NGOs active in the Saharawi refugee camps, also attended the funeral of the deceased, along with members of his family.

Hundreds and hundreds of Sahrawi citizens also came to attend the funeral of President of the Saharawi National Council, Mahfoudh Ali Beiba.

Our dear brother Mr. Ali-Baiba Hammad Douweihi was born in the northern part of Western-Sahara: Saguia el Hamra in 1.953. He was married with our dear friend Mouina Cheikhatou and father of three beatifoul girls: Chaiaa, Fala and Mahfoudha.

In 1976 he had been appointed Secretary General of the Polisario Front, after the death of El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed, the founder of the Saharawi independence movement.

He had been replaced by Mohamed Abdelaziz, who still directs the liberation movement.

Mahfoud Ali Beiba was also Prime Minister of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, (SADR)proclaimed by the Polisario, from 1982-1985, then 1995-1999.

Mahfoud Ali Beiba had chaired since 1997, all Saharawi delegations during the negotiations on the future of Western Sahara with Morocco conducted under the auspices of the United Nations and had been Chairman of the NSC since 2003.

The Saharawi Government has declared a week of mourning from last Saturday in honnour of one the most important leaders of POLISARIO Front movement and one of the historic leaders of the saharawi people who is still crying because of this great loss. Becasue Mahfoud Ali-Baiba is known by his strong loyalty to the national cause,  a great defender of the legitimate right of self-determination and independence of the saharawi people. That is why we still crying for these huge loss  in your third day´s death but we can assure you that we will continue in the struggle for what you have sacrificed your youth and your whole life.

¡God bless you!.

In-na lil-lahi wa in-na ileihi rayiúun. 

WESTERN SAHARA´S CONFLICT IN THE MAIN U.N.´S AGENDA

The women from the Africa´s last colony: Western Sahara, totally support the whole speech of the POLISARO Front United Nations´s Permanent Representative, Mr. ahmed, pronounced this week in

the Special Committee on Decolonization of western sahara hold in the UN´s main headquarters.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario Front), said 18 years had passed since the United Nations had endorsed, in 1991, the plan for a self-determination referendum in Western Sahara, which was still to be held. The process had been deterred by Morocco on the basis of friendships it had forged in the Security Council, particularly with France, which would provide it with impunity to continue its destructive efforts. Morocco still believed that it could involve the Council in gravely altering the Saharan people's fundamental basic right to self-determination. None of the endeavours carried out, from the 1997 Houston Agreement to the 2003 Baker Plan, to efforts by Christopher Ross, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, had managed to overcome the intransigence of the occupying Power, he said.

Morocco had incorporated new arguments and pretexts to create new alliances within the Council in exchange for hopes of realizing the final annexation of Western Sahara, he continued. That would signify the introduction of a new and curious doctrine that would enable all those participating in it to annex neighbouring territories, he warned. That pseudo-solution of "autonomy of Moroccan sovereignty", which Morocco had formulated in 2007 and set as a precondition for advancing the current negotiations, implied forcing the Saharan people to renounce the option of independence and integrate into the occupying Power. It would not be difficult for members of the Special Committee to consider that pseudo-solution as a grave rejection of the principle of self-determination, established by the United Nations in resolution 1514 (XV) and defined in resolution 1541 (XV).

Morocco continued to negate the 1991 United Nations decision, he said, adding that it also continued illegally to exploit Western Sahara's natural resources and to violate the Saharan people's human rights under the eyes and ears of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). There was no indication that Morocco would change its position in the near future, he said, noting that the United Nations would fail to address the situation of the last African territory on the Special Committee's agenda. The Moroccan case could have represented success on decolonization, but instead, it had become a symbol of protracted failure. No one could resign themselves to a fait accompli predicated on false and territorial appetites, he stressed.

He said Morocco was continuing the expansionist policies of Mohamed Allal al‑Fassi, leader of the Istiqlal Party, who had sought, since independence in 1956, to forge a "Greater Morocco" extending into Senegal and swallowing up all of Western Sahara, Mauritania and parts of Algeria and Mali. The region had seen no peace since 1975, and had even moved further away from it due to Morocco's decision to base its demands on ancient history. Failure to follow the road to peace, as instructed by the United Nations, should not be permitted, he said, adding that the Special Committee could play a large role in replacing injury and violence with a complete process for the peaceful decolonization of the last African colony on its agenda.

More than ever, the Special Committee had the chance to find out for itself what was happening in the Territory, he said, recalling that its last visit to Western Sahara had taken place 35 years ago. There was no valid or convincing reason to object to a second visit until the question of decolonization was resolved. The Special Committee had a right to request and receive true and appropriate information about the situation in the Territory, but Morocco was refusing to provide it, claiming that it had no colonies, only "provinces". Sooner or later international law would prevail in Western Sahara, he said.

Calling for a pooling of efforts to convince Morocco to cooperate with the United Nations on ending the unsustainable colonial situation that had handicapped the future of the entire region, bringing instability and insecurity, he said all countries of the region had been subjected to European colonization, and had subsequently spent years building their own independent futures. "We cannot be an exception to the general rule," he emphasized, denouncing Morocco for trying to return to times of injury, violence and territorial bullying based on ancient history. The only way forward was through a democratic solution in which the Saharan people would be masters of their own destiny, he said.

When asked by the representative of Bolivia about a solution to the conflict, Mr. Boukhari ahmed said all the parties concerned had agreed on a solution "a long time". The consensus had been that the Saharan people could decide whether they preferred to remain part of Morocco or to become independent. However, there had been a deviation from that process towards attempts to legitimize an unacceptable situation, he said, noting that, during informal negotiations, Morocco had taken "a step back". In light of that, Mr. Ross hoped to consider a new negotiating round in efforts to move forward. The only solution was to apply the already agreed-upon principle of self-determination for Western Sahara, he said, noting that any other method could lead to "a dead end".

Responding to a question by the representative of Nicaragua about the Special Committee's role, he said that, as long as the decolonization process continued in the Territory, the Special Committee would remain involved and use all the means at its disposal. He said he did not understand the rationale behind objections to the Special Committee visiting Western Sahara in order for members to view the situation for themselves. It should visit, since preventing such a visit would not help to strengthen the competence of its work.

Asked by the representative of Venezuela about the difficulties of the decolonization process, he said the current situation in Western Sahara was the result of destruction that had begun in 2009. Considering the risk that a lack of action could become a shield for the status quo, he urged the United Nations to take another look at the situation in Western Sahara so as to avoid a tragedy that would take place in the Organization's name.

THE SAHARAWIS AND THE WORLD REFUGEE´S DAY

On the occassion of the World Refugee´s Day, June 20th, the Saharawi Women would like to express their great concern about the plight of the more than fourty millions of refugee persons around the world among them the thousand of the saharawis whom were forced to scape their country: Western Sahara when Morocco invaded their country theirty-five years ago.

The Saharawi Women launched an urgent appeal to the international community to convince Morocco to implement the hundreds of United Nations´s resolutions on this problem of decolonization and to respect the human rights in the saharawi cities of Western Sahara, illegally occupied by the moroccan army.

The Saharawi Women are convinced that the hardships of the Saharawi refugees will continue as long as Morocco continues to illegally profit from the occupation of its neighbouring country and that is why we as women from this north-african country call on the international community to break the cash-flow from the occupied territories to the Moroccan treasury.

The humanitarian situation for the Saharawi grows ever more acute. The Saharawi people living in the refugee camps in Algeria suffer from donor fatigue and malnutrition. A study from 2008 establishes that 1 in every 5 Saharawi children is malnourished. It is unsettling to note that the annual multilateral aid to the refugee camps is only a small percentage of the massive profits Morocco makes by illegally exploiting the Saharawi resources.

Once again and on the World Refugee Day we, the Saharawi Women urge the international community to stop turning a blind eye to this persistent injustice. Choosing to look away is also a political choice, as it only strengthens the ongoing and untenable moroccanization of the territory.

Furthermore, it is an offense to the Saharawi refugees, who in the face of inhumane hardship have kept their end of the seize-fire bargain, doing exactly what the international community has asked them to do: wait. If the United Nations are truly committed to solving the last unresolved colonial conflict in Africa , breaking the cash-flow from the occupied territories to the occupying regime might be a good place to start.