WHAT FUTURE FOR THE POLISARIO
- From: tariq <tgazoulit@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:48:20 -0000
WHAT FUTURE FOR THE POLISARIO
TAOUFIQ GAZOULIT
Since 1976 the secretary general of the Polisario Mohammed Abdelaziz,
and a small group of Other Leaders control the Tindouf refugee camps.
Today Algeria remains the main Financial, political, and military
supporter of the Polisario, though Libya and countries of the Former
Soviet Union .historically backed the polisario in the past, their
support has decreased Since the end of the cold war. Although the
world started to experience changes (as from The Last decade of the
last Century) Polisario remained apart from such changes in the
International political behaviour, No free elections, no democracy, no
plurality, no freedom of Speech and expression, no free opinion and
most definitely no civil society.
It is not a secret that polisario,was established by a group of young
Moroccan sahraouis students, who had felt the necessity to liberate
western Sahara from the Spaniards, during their several attempts to
convince the then government in charge, and also the Moroccan national
political parties to the urgency of claiming the territory back to the
kingdom of Morocco, the answer, or rather the reaction from both sides
was very disappointing, as far as the young sahraouis were concerned,
which led them to opt for the creation of Polisario.
The aim was at the very beginning to start a struggle against the
Spanish colonizer, the idea of disintegrating from the kingdom was not
in the mind of the young sahraouis, simply because they are Moroccans
as much as their parents, and ancestors. During 1975 Algeria became
directly involved with the Polisario in addition to other Arab
countries namely Libya, South of Yemen. And a number of the ex eastern
bloc, among others the Soviet Union, and Cuba. In this particular
time, and thinks to the unexpected international support to the
polisario front, and the direct involvement of Algeria. It was the
leadership of the polisario that planed during the same year the
emigration of a number of sahraouis from their homes in the Sahara to
Tindouf refugee camps. In fact the present refugees in the camps
inside Algeria were victims of systematic lies and manoeuvres of the
Polisario.
many observers see the shift of Polisario attitude towards the Kingdom
of Morocco, being their own country, and the claim for a referendum
leading to an independent state in western Sahara as a result of the
inter -Arab differences. Allowing the sahraoui people to vote on a
referendum seems like a simple solution, but the polisario had
insisted on restricting the voter lists locked that process into more
than six years of fruitless discussion. The UN became aware of the
fact that referendum is in practical terms impossible to carry out
since sahraouis do not live only in Morocco, but also in Algeria,
Mauritania, and Mali. This means simply that there should be a change
of these countries borders, in order to organize a just and fair
referendum, since the countries concerned would totally reject the
idea, the former general secretary of the UN confirmed that the
organization of such referendum is impossible politically and
technically. Recognizing this deadlock, the UN shifted its approach to
encouraging direct political negotiations between Morocco and the
polisario.One of the totalitarian stigmata that continue to weigh
against polisario is its capacity to take part in the search for a
political solution. The real desire for a dialogue even with the
majority of sahraouis who have opted to remain in the territory in
Morocco, and who are members of the CORCAS is absent (http://
www.sahara-online.net )
THE DIVERSION OF HUMANITARIAN AID
Sahraoui refugees in the Tindouf camps depend on humanitarian aid
donated by numerousUN organizations, in addition to international non-
governmental organizations. It is believed And even proved that much
of the humanitarian aid does not reach the refugees, instead it is in
most cases sold on the black market in neighbouring countries by the
Polisario. In this Respect the international community have called in
numerous occasions for the Implementation of a census, and an audit
system to make sure that the management of the Humanitarian aid is
transparent. Both Algeria, and Polisario has refused to allow
independent
Oversight of its management of humanitarian assistance. Important
quantities of diverted International humanitarian aid sent for
refugees in Tindouf camps have been found on the Markets in Algeria,
and Mauritania, but also in Mali and Nigers, some still in their
original Packaging. The sums recovered would be used to finance the
front, and also its leader's way Of life, at the expense of sahraoui
refugees. These diversions according to the report of the US Committee
for refugees published in year 2000 "Humanitarian workers have
reported that more than 30% of the children from 5 to 12 years old
were underfed, more than 70% of the Children of less than 5 years old
suffered from anaemia", in its 2001 report the committee Announced
"more than 15000 children are in need of shoes", and finally in its
2003 report, its said "some donors in private, have asked for a
control of the distribution of food to Make sure that the political
and military leaders were not diverting the aid"
HUMAN RIGHTS ASPECT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
The polisario is severely accused of human rights abuses : the
detention, killing ,and the abuse treatment of Moroccan prisoners of
war from late 70's to 2006, other accusations are that a big number of
sahraouis are kept in the Tindouf camps against their will, and do not
enjoy freedom of expression. In a report published in 2003; Amnesty
International concluded that "freedom of expression, association, and
movement continued to be restricted in the camps controlled by the
polisario near Tindouf in south western Algeria».
In 2006 a full and comprehensive report of an independent committee
of inquiry into allegations of violation human rights,
crimes ,abuses ,and various other irregularities brought against the
polisario front, was submitted to the special political and
decolonisation committee (fourth committee) of the United Nations on
the 4th of October 2006.This 40page documented report deals the
following aspects:
·The condition of detention, the use of torture, the absence of even
the minimum level of judicial process, malnutrition of prisoners, and
the absence of medical care.
·Forced labour ,and rape ,and The abdication of Moroccan citizens
within the international recognized frontiers of Morocco
The tragedy of the population detained in Tindouf camps for more than
30 years, victims of continued violations of human rights committed by
the Polisario "requires a particular attention of the council of human
rights" underlined recently Mrs Saadani Maoulainine
Her intervention came on behalf of the Union of women Action before
the 6th session of the council;( October 2007) she drew the attention
particularly in terms of the situation of women and children who are
on daily basis subject to exploitation and abuse in the camps.
"families have been disintegrated, women exploited, and deprived from
their basic rights, violations of children rights, thousands of
sahraouis detained in the camps are subject to torture, in addition
to he total abscence of freedom of expression , and democracy in the
camps controlled by those who refuse changes and negociation"she
deplored .
Mrs Saadani Maoulainine pleaded for "a just and durable solution in
order to put an end to the suffering of the saharaouis who are the
real victims of the conflict"; she underlined that the proposal of a
substantial autonomy which guaranties the social, political and
economic rights of the southern provinces inhabitants, constitutes the
only solution to put an end to this suffering, and to reunite families
separated because of the artificial conflict concerning the Sahara
issue.
Slavery a common institutionalized practice in the Tindouf camps
The Australian journalists Violeta Ayala and Daniel Fallshaw,
underlined on Thursday( 1éth of october2007) in New York that slavery
is a common and institutionalized practice in Tindouf camps controlled
by the separatist movement polisario
"Slavery is a genuine institution in the Tindouf camps" asserted Viola
ayala at the time of a meeting with the press at the headquarter of
the UN; she was very surprised, when herself and her colleague
discovered the scale of the phenomenon.
Both Australian journalists went to Tindouf in Algeria to produce a
documentary about separated families ,they asserted being witnesses
of slavery scenes, and were able to get numerous testimonies which
confirm the existence of such practice " our stupefaction was great as
we could never imagine that this practice could take place in the
camps , of whom black families are victims" said Ayala, and wondered "
how could the Polisario which presents itself as a liberation movement
supports such phenomenon"
Answering the questions of journalists ,who obviously could not admit
that such practices which belong to another era could still exist
nowadays, ayala and fallshaw explained that " black families enjoy no
rights" and are considered simply as " property" of their masters who
transmit them as an heritage to their descendants.
"Worse, slavery is legally regulated, and protected by law. It is not
only a social practice» they underlined.
The two journalists have produced a documentary showing these
practices asserted that they will not stop here, but they intend to go
to Geneva to report to the human rights council.
After the intervention of the MINURSO officers, these two journalists
were taken to a small hotel in Tindouf, they remained detained for
three days until the Australian foreign affair minister intervened
requiring their immediate release.
CONCLUSION
These are merely few examples of the constant violation of human
rights practiced by the leadership of the Polisario front in the
Tindouf camps, these violations have lasted for the last three decades
or so, Polisario claiming to be a liberation movement contradicts
itself, nowadays most of the international public opinion is aware of
the Polisario 's violation of the most basic human rights
principles , In my view ,The existence of the Polisario is connected
to the existence of these camps, and the existence of such refugee
camps on a hostile territory in subhuman conditions over a long period
is a flagrant infringement of human rights. The Polisario has
constantly violated the most elementary human rights for the last 30
years. The polisario can not be the sole and legitimate representative
of sahraouis, especially if we take into account that two thirds of
sahraouis do live under Moroccan sovereignty and they support the
substantial autonomy project (http://www.sahara-online.net ) At the
same time, most of those living as refugees in Tindouf camps in
Algeria back the autonomy seeing it as a solution that guarantees
political, economic, and social rights of sahraouis.
The question remains: what would be the future of Polisario, as it
is almost certain that it has no chance to win the ongoing diplomatic
battle, nor any other battle for that matter
Sources: The political site of Western Sahara: www.corcas.com
The Western Sahara portail :
www.sahara-online.net
The site of
culture : www.sahara-culture.com
The site of towns of Western Sahara :
www.sahara-villes.com
The site of economic development :
www.sahara-developpement.com
Of W Sahara
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