The Collective of Saharawi human rights activists, including Rafto Laureate Sahara Sidi Mohamed Dadach, recently sent a letter to the Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, expressing their warm thanks and sincere gratitude for “the praiseworthy efforts and the noble and brave position” undertaken by the Norwegian government in order to ensure respect and promotion of human rights in Western Sahara. (10-JULY-04)
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Sidi Mohammed Dadach, Rafto Laureate 2002
Kjell Magne Bondevik
Prime Minister of Norway Oslo,
The Kingdom of Norway
Mr. Prime Minister,
On the occasion of the ongoing visit to Western Sahara of the Norwegian ambassador to Morocco, we, the Sahrawi human rights activists seize the opportunity to express our warm thanks and sincere gratitude for the praiseworthy efforts and the noble and brave position undertaken by your government in order to ensure respect and promotion of human rights in Western Sahara.
We also keep in mind the fruitful results stemming from the meetings taking place in the beginning of November 2002, where several officials from the Norwegian government as well as from the Parliament met with Sahrawi human rights activists, notably Sidi Mohamed Dadach and Brahim Noumria, on the occasion of the award of the Rafto human rights prize. This interest shows clearly the importance attached to the human rights situation in Western Sahara by Norway.
Mr. Prime Minister,
You are certainly aware of that in spite of the fact that the question of Western Sahara, as a problem of decolonisation, has been on the UN agenda since 1966, in spite of the advice of the International Court of Justice, in spite of numerous UN resolutions reconfirm the Sahrawi people´s inalienable right to self-determination, and in spite of the efforts expended by the international community, no tangible progress has unfortunately been made so far in order to put an end to the tragedy of the people of Western Sahara, endured for more than three decades.
The situation prevailing in Western Sahara continues to deteriorate to the point of getting critical, on the one hand because the ongoing process of solving the conflict suffers from a severe crisis, on the other hand because of the repression and the glaring acts of violence committed by the state of Morocco against the Sahrawi population. The Moroccan defence wall, which has separated the territory and the populations for ages, increases these sufferings even more.
Mr. Prime Minister,
Despite the opinion of the Security Council´s Legal Department of January the 29th 2002, which appropriately reminded the international community of the status of the non-autonomous territories of Western Sahara, and hence the illegality of the exploitation of the natural resources of these territories, the state of Morocco has continued to sell off these resources with complete impunity, defying international legality. At the same time, the Sahrawi people is suffering from extreme poverty and unemployment, they are being marginalized and live under inhumane conditions, which has forced a large part of them to flee, risking their lives in small boats that will surely never arrive safely at their ports. In proceeding this way, the state of Morocco orchestrates further its Machiavellian plan, aiming to force the native people of Western Sahara out of their country and replace them with Moroccan colonists, in order to change and to alter completely the territory´s demography.
The Sahrawi human rights activists, as well as the Sahrawi leadership, are the target point of the Moroccan government: daily they are exposed to harassment, intimidation, disappearance of people, torture and physical abuse of all sorts, deportation to Moroccan cities, unfair and random dismissals, confiscation of passports as well as frequent restrictions to free movement, to demonstrate and to the freedom of expression.
In addition to the Moroccan treatment of the Sahrawi civilians, the human rights situation in Western Sahara has gone from bad to worse for the hundreds of families still knowing nothing of their dear ones missing since the conflict began in 1975, a conflict whose outcome still remains uncertain. Other parts of the Saharawi society are confronted with another menace, no less frightening: the thousands of anti personnel-mines scattered around by the Moroccans all over the territory, notably in the areas around the cities. These mines kill and mutilate dozens of people almost every year, as well as an equal amount of animals searching for pastures.
All these atrocities take place far out of sight of the international community, for the simple reason that the media have no access to the territories. The state of Morocco has assured a tight media-, security- and military control in a region that is totally isolated from the outside world, in order to have a free hand to carry out its numerous crimes. Morocco´s expulsion of two Norwegian journalists who came to the country to interview one of the Saharawi activists is still fresh in mind. The Moroccan government´s attitude has been strongly denounced by your government.
Mr. Prime Minister,
After having briefly presented you with some examples of the extensive sufferings to which we are confronted, we are convinced that Norway will stay faithful to its principles, its culture and its arduous efforts made all over the world to promote peace and liberty, and will do everything possible to insist on the respect for the human rights in Western Sahara and work for a lasting peace in this part of the Maghreb, putting and end to the tragedy endured by the Sahrawi people, a people who believes strongly in the ideals of peace, justice and democracy.
With all respect, yours faithfully El Ayoun, Western Sahara, July 6th 2004, Signed, The Collective of Saharawi human rights activists in Occupied Western Sahara
