DOCSLIB.ORG

Resolving the 30-Year Conflict Over the Status of Western Sahara Hearing Committee on International

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Resolving the 30-Year Conflict Over the Status of Western Sahara Hearing Committee on International GETTING TO ‘‘YES’’: RESOLVING THE 30-YEAR CONFLICT OVER THE STATUS OF WESTERN SAHARA HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION NOVEMBER 17, 2005 Serial No. 109–104 Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international—relations U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 24–601PDF WASHINGTON : 2006 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Mar 21 2002 14:01 Jan 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 F:\WORK\AGI\111705\24601.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa TOM LANTOS, California CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, HOWARD L. BERMAN, California Vice Chairman GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York DAN BURTON, Indiana ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American ELTON GALLEGLY, California Samoa ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey DANA ROHRABACHER, California ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey EDWARD R. ROYCE, California SHERROD BROWN, Ohio PETER T. KING, New York BRAD SHERMAN, California STEVE CHABOT, Ohio ROBERT WEXLER, Florida THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York RON PAUL, Texas WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts DARRELL ISSA, California GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York JEFF FLAKE, Arizona BARBARA LEE, California JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York MARK GREEN, Wisconsin EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon JERRY WELLER, Illinois SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada MIKE PENCE, Indiana GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California THADDEUS G. MCCOTTER, Michigan ADAM B. SCHIFF, California KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida DIANE E. WATSON, California JOE WILSON, South Carolina ADAM SMITH, Washington JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas BETTY MCCOLLUM, Minnesota J. GRESHAM BARRETT, South Carolina BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky CONNIE MACK, Florida DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska MICHAEL MCCAUL, Texas TED POE, Texas THOMAS E. MOONEY, SR., Staff Director/General Counsel ROBERT R. KING, Democratic Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, Chairman THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey JEFF FLAKE, Arizona BARBARA LEE, California MARK GREEN, Wisconsin BETTY MCCOLLUM, Minnesota JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas BRAD SHERMAN, California JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, DIANE E. WATSON, California Vice Chairman MARY M. NOONAN, Subcommittee Staff Director GREG SIMPKINS, Subcommittee Professional Staff Member NOELLE LUSANE, Democratic Professional Staff Member SHERI A. RICKERT, Subcommittee Professional Staff Member and Counsel LINDSEY M. PLUMLEY, Staff Associate (II) VerDate Mar 21 2002 14:01 Jan 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\111705\24601.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL C O N T E N T S Page WITNESSES The Honorable James Inhofe, a U.S. Senator from the State of Oklahoma ....... 6 The Honorable Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida ..................................................................................................... 14 Mr. Toby Shelley, Journalist, Financial Times, London, England ...................... 23 Mr. Gordon Gray, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State ...................................................................... 30 The Honorable Frank Ruddy, Former Deputy Chairman of the Referendum for Western Sahara (MINURSO), United Nations ............................................ 42 Mr. Erik Jensen, Former Head of the United Nations Mission to Western Sahara (MINURSO), United Nations ................................................................. 51 Mr. Ali El Jaouhar, Former Moroccan Prisoner of War ....................................... 55 LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING The Honorable Christopher H. Smith, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations: Prepared statement ................ 1 The Honorable James Inhofe: Prepared statement .............................................. 9 The Honorable Lincoln Diaz-Balart: Prepared statement .................................... 17 Mr. Toby Shelley: Prepared statement .................................................................. 25 Mr. Gordon Gray: Prepared statement .................................................................. 32 The Honorable Frank Ruddy: Prepared statement ............................................... 46 Mr. Erik Jensen: Prepared statement ................................................................... 53 Mr. Ali El Jaouhar: Prepared statement ............................................................... 57 The Honorable Donald M. Payne, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey: UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Report ........................... 62 APPENDIX Alexandra Arriaga, Associate Deputy Director for Advocacy and Director of Government Relations, Amnesty International USA: Prepared statement .... 67 Aziz Mekouar, Ambassador of His Majesty to Washington DC, Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco: Prepared statement ................................................... 70 Moulud Said, Polisario Front Representative in the United States: Prepared statement .............................................................................................................. 72 Suzanne Scholte, President, Defense Forum Foundation and Chairman, U.S.- Western Sahara Foundation: Prepared statement ............................................ 73 Stephen P. Hagens, President, Homeland International: Prepared statement .. 75 (III) VerDate Mar 21 2002 14:01 Jan 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\111705\24601.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL VerDate Mar 21 2002 14:01 Jan 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\111705\24601.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL GETTING TO ‘‘YES’’: RESOLVING THE 30-YEAR CONFLICT OVER THE STATUS OF WESTERN SAHARA THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2005 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS, COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Washington, DC. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:47 p.m. in room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher H. Smith (Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding. Mr. SMITH. The Subcommittee will resume. [The prepared statement of Mr. Smith follows:] PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, A REPRESENTA- TIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY AND CHAIRMAN, SUB- COMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS In the 1950s and 1960s, dozens of former European colonies in Africa won their independence, changing forever the face of a continent in bondage since the scram- ble for Africa in 1800s. Some African colonies didn’t win their independence until later, such as Angola and Mozambique in the 1970s and Zimbabwe and Namibia the 1980s. Majority rule didn’t come to South Africa until the 1990s. However, the wave of African independence left one new nation yet unborn. In the United Nations Decolonization Committee files, one case is left unresolved. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1975 that the Saharawi people of the terri- tory known as Western Sahara had a right to determine their own future in a na- tion they would create from the colony ruled by Spain. Unfortunately, Spain did not honor its promise of a referendum for the Saharawis. Morocco and Mauritania de- cided to split Western Sahara between them, denying the Saharawis their chance to decide their own fate. A war for Saharawi independence by a movement known as the Polisario Front ended Mauritania’s claims on Western Sahara territory, but Morocco continues to consider Western Sahara as part of its sovereign territory. Morocco and the Polisario Front signed an agreement to end hostilities in 1991, which included an agreement to let the Saharawis hold a referendum on independence, but more than a decade of delays and subterfuge have left generations of Saharawis as refugees in a land not their own. The tragedy of Western Sahara is that this 30-year-long dispute has denied the universal right to freedom and democracy to thousands of Saharawis. The world has seen some of the most dedicated negotiators abandon their efforts to find a solution in frustration over lack of progress. Six hundred million dollars has been spent by the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO, in an attempt to hold the long promised referendum. Thousands of Saharawis have raised their children in desert camps outside of Tindouf in the western region of Algeria, far from home their homes in Western Sahara. Thousands of Saharawis still have no information about their fathers, brothers, and spouses who fought in the liberation war against Morocco, and soldiers on both sides have terrible stories of the tragedy of war and its bitter aftermath. (1) VerDate Mar 21 2002 14:01 Jan 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 F:\WORK\AGI\111705\24601.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL 2 If there is hope, it lies in the agreements and confidence
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Type of Exchange
    History of Exchange Casablanca, Morocco Chicago’s Sister City Since 1982 Co-Chairs: Lisa Roberts and Julie Stagliano 1982 Focus: Signing Agreement The City of Chicago signed a sister cities agreement with Casablanca, Morocco in 1982. 1991 Focus: Reaffirmation of Agreement During Sister Cities International Conference 1991, the City of Chicago hosted a delegation of Casablanca city officials and reaffirmed the intent of both cities to continue to strengthen the existing bonds of friendship. Focus: Government & Business The Wali of Casablanca, Ahmed Motii, and six Moroccan governors came to Chicago to further develop economic and cultural ties between the two cities. August Focus: Environment Members of the Moroccan parliament visited Chicago. They met with Mayor Richard M. Daley and toured waste management recycling facilities and studied the mass transit system. 1992 Focus: Culture The Casablanca Committee presented a slide lecture and presentation entitled, "Play it Again, Sam." The lecture on Morocco featured speakers Cindy Mitchell, Chair of the Casablanca Committee, and Marianna Beck and Jack Hafferkamp, freelance travel writers. 1993 May Focus: Culture The mural representing Mr. Chabaa's impression of Chicago was permanently installed in the arrival corridor of the international terminal at O'Hare airport. 1994 Focus: Education The Casablanca Committee organized a community youth service project. The project involved seven teenagers from Chicago who volunteered for three weeks with seven Moroccan youth in Casablanca at the orphanage Lolla Hasna. Later, the Casablanca students came to Chicago to volunteer at St. Martin De Porres, a settlement house for homeless women and their children. Cultural activities in both cities broadened the experience of these teenagers.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights in Western Sahara and in the Tindouf Refugee Camps
    Morocco/Western Sahara/Algeria HUMAN Human Rights in Western Sahara RIGHTS and in the Tindouf Refugee Camps WATCH Human Rights in Western Sahara and in the Tindouf Refugee Camps Morocco/Western Sahara/Algeria Copyright © 2008 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-420-6 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org December 2008 1-56432-420-6 Human Rights in Western Sahara and in the Tindouf Refugee Camps Map Of North Africa ....................................................................................................... 1 Summary...................................................................................................................... 2 Western Sahara ....................................................................................................... 3 Refugee Camps near Tindouf, Algeria ...................................................................... 8 Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 12 To the UN Security Council ....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Aspen Ideas Festival Confirmed Speakers
    Aspen Ideas Festival Confirmed Speakers Carol Adelman , President, Movers and Shakespeares; Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Global Prosperity, The Hudson Institute Kenneth Adelman , Vice President, Movers and Shakespeares; Executive Director, Arts & Ideas Series, The Aspen Institute Stephen J. Adler , Editor-in-Chief, BusinessWeek Pamela A. Aguilar , Producer, Documentary Filmmaker; After Brown , Shut Up and Sing Madeleine K. Albright , founder, The Albright Group, LLC; former US Secretary of State; Trustee, The Aspen Institute T. Alexander Aleinikoff , Professor of Law and Dean, Georgetown University Law Center Elizabeth Alexander , Poet; Professor and Chair, African American Studies Department, Yale University Yousef Al Otaiba , United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States Kurt Andersen , Writer, Broadcaster, Editor; Host and Co-Creator, Public Radio International’s “Studio 360” Paula S. Apsell , Senior Executive Producer, PBS’s “NOVA” Anders Åslund , Senior Fellow, Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics Byron Auguste , Senior Partner, Worldwide Managing Director, Social Sector Office, McKinsey & Company Dean Baker , Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy Research; Columnist, The Guardian ; Blogger, “Beat the Press,” The American Prospect James A. Baker III , Senior Partner, Baker Botts, LLP; former US Secretary of State Bharat Balasubramanian , Vice President, Group Research and Advanced Engineering; Product Innovations & Process Technologies, Daimler AG Jack M. Balkin , Knight Professor of Constitutional
    [Show full text]
  • MOROCCO: Human Rights at a Crossroads
    Human Rights Watch October 2004 Vol. 16, No. 6(E) MOROCCO: Human Rights at a Crossroads I. SUMMARY................................................................................................................................ 1 II. RECOMMENDATIONS...................................................................................................... 4 To the Government of Morocco ........................................................................................... 4 To the Equity and Reconciliation Commission ................................................................... 6 To the United Nations............................................................................................................. 7 To the U.S. Government.........................................................................................................8 To the European Union and its member states................................................................... 8 To the Arab League.................................................................................................................. 9 III. INTRODUCTION: ADDRESSING PAST ABUSES................................................... 9 The Equity and Reconciliation Commission......................................................................14 Limits of the New Commission ...........................................................................................16 2003 Report of the Advisory Council for Human Rights ................................................23 IV. HUMAN RIGHTS AFTER THE
    [Show full text]
  • Insideafrica's Lastcolony
    REPORTER AT LARGE Betrayed by Spain and oppressed by Morocco, the Saharawi people of Western Sahara compare themselves to the Palestinians or the black majority in apartheid South Africa. And they want the world to know their story Inside Afric a’ s last colony ByXanRice Figures in a landscape: King Mohammed VI of Morocco was visiting provinces.OnmapstheareaappearsasWestern Saharawi landmine a hammam when a genie appeared. Sahara. The UN calls it a “non-self-governing victims in the desert “I can offer you one wish,” the genie said. territory”.ItisAfrica’slastcolony,whereanear- near Smara camp, “I’d really like to see my late father, Hassan forgotten liberation war lies dormant. Algeria II,” Mohammed replied. The wall is sometimes referred to as Hassan’s “That’s a difficult request, bringing a Wall, after King Hassan II of Morocco, who an - person back from the dead,” the genie said. nexed most of what was then called Spanish “Have you got another wish?” Sahara when Spain pulled out in 1976. About “Well, I’d like Western Sahara to become half of the indigenous population, the Saha- part of Morocco,” said Mohammed. rawis, who had been promised a vote on self- “Hang on while I’ll look for your father,” determination by Spain, fled across the desert said the genie. to refugee camps in an inhospitable corner of Saharawi joke Algeria in order to escape Moroccan rule. They were assisted by the Polisario Front, a In the far western expanse of the Sahara is the poorly armed but fiercely determined national - world’s longest continuous wall.
    [Show full text]
  • Montage Cover EN
    2000 REPORT DIPLOMATIC DIPLOMATIC THESOVEREIGN MILITARY HOSPITALLER ORDER OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM, OF RHODES AND OF MALTA FOREWORD The Order of Malta has devoted itself over the HUMANITARIAN AND DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITIES centuries to developing its hospitaller, medical and 03 Medical and humanitarian activities humanitarian works, all of which it continues to 06 Diplomacy at the service of humanitarian aid carry out today. In this publication, the Order’s 09 Diplomatic relations throughout the world activities are presented in the chapters: 10 The Order’s diplomatic life Humanitarian and Diplomatic Activities; Spiritual 12 A retrospective of the 1999 Commitment; and History and Culture. and 2000 diplomatic calendars The Report provides a brief summary of the Order’s humanitarian works, published in detail in SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT the Activity Report, which covers its medical, 19 The Jubilee Year and the Church social, hospitaller and emergency humanitarian aid programmes. This publication is available from the HISTORY AND CULTURE Order’s Information Bureau in Rome or from the 23 Key dates Order of Malta in each country. 25 The artistic work of the Order of Malta 27 Exhibitions, conferences and museums 29 Numismatics and philately FOR MORE INFORMATION 34 Government of the Order 36 Recent bibliography 37 The Sovereign Order’s diplomatic missions At the dawn of the third millennium, the As well as good works, now more than ever, we need hope. Sovereign Order of Malta still actively For all those working with the Order of Malta in the serv- demonstrates the humanitarian and medical ice of their fellow man: religious, diplomats, volunteers, commitments that inspired its founding in doctors, professionals, artists, members of the Order, Jerusalem in the eleventh century.
    [Show full text]
  • Report of the Secretary-General on the Situation of Western
    United Nations S/2020/938 Security Council Distr.: General 23 September 2020 Original: English Situation concerning Western Sahara Report of the Secretary-General I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2494 (2019), by which the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 October 2020 and requested me to submit a report on the situation in Western Sahara before the end of the mandate period. The report covers developments until 31 August 2020 that have occurred since the issuance of my previous report of 2 October 2019 (S/2019/787) and describes the situation on the ground, the status of political negotiations on Western Sahara, the implementation of resolution 2494 (2019) and the existing challenges to the Mission’s operations and steps taken to address them. II. Recent developments 2. Overall calm prevailed in Western Sahara on both sides of the berm. While respect for the ceasefire agreement by both parties generally continued, there was a notable decline in compliance with the terms of military agreement No. 1, particularly east of the berm. 3. The impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on Western Sahara was moderate west of the berm. Following early and thorough preventive and containment measures by Morocco, this part of the Territory witnessed only a handful of cases until 30 May. At that point, a significant outbreak was detected in the area of Laayoune. As at 31 August, the number of active cases in Laayoune was 41. The Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguía el-Hamra y Río de Oro (Frente POLISARIO) reported taking strict measures to prevent the spread of the virus east of the berm, where no cases were officially reported.
    [Show full text]
  • JMSS-M.Stephan+J.Mundy Revised
    Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, Spring 2006, Vol. 8, Issue 3. A BATTLEFIELD TRANSFORMED: FROM GUERILLA RESISTANCE TO MASS NONVIOLENT STRUGGLE IN THE WESTERN SAHARA Dr. Maria J. Stephan and Jacob Mundy 1 INTRODUCTION In late May 2005, a popular uprising against foreign domination rocked the Maghreb region of North Africa. With scenes reminiscent of the recent unarmed insurrections against unpopular governments in Georgia (2003), Ukraine (2004-05), and Lebanon (2005), thousands of ethnic Sahrawis from the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony that has been under strict military control by the Kingdom of Morocco since the latter invaded and occupied the territory in 1975, took to the streets en masse demanding the withdrawal of Moroccan troops and independence for Africa’s last remaining colony. Sahrawis are calling their sustained defiance against foreign rule an Intifada, or “shaking off”. The desert uprising represents a dramatic turning point in the Sahrawi people’s struggle for national self-determination for three main reasons. First: the scope, intensity, and mass civilian involvement in the nationalist uprising took Moroccan occupation forces by surprise. Moroccan police, soldiers, and intelligence agents, who 1 Dr. Maria J. Stephan is the Manager of Educational Initiatives at the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, a non-partisan, non-profit, non-governmental organization that develops and encourages the use of civilian-based, nonmilitary strategies to establish and defend democracy and human rights worldwide. She received her PhD from The Fletcher School, Tufts University (Medford, MA). Jacob Mundy was a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco (1999-2001) and is a graduate student in Middle East Studies at the University of Washington.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluation of Praktisk Solidaritet's Programme 2011–2015
    2017:19 Sida Decentralised Evaluation Nicklas Svensson Gert Venghaus Evaluation of Praktisk Solidaritet’s Programme 2011–2015 Final Report Evaluation of Praktisk Solidaritet’s Programme 2011–2015 Final Report June 2017 Nicklas Svensson Gert Venghau Sida Decentralised Evaluation 2017:19 Sida Authors: Nicklas Svensson (Sthlm Policy Group AB) and Gert Venghaus (Global Emergency Group) The views and interpretations expressed in this report are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida. Sida Decentralised Evaluation 2017:19 Commissioned by Sida Copyright: Sida and the authors Date of final report: 2016-03-30 Published by Sitrus 2017 Art. no. Sida62056en urn:nbn:se:sida-62056en This publication can be downloaded from: http://www.sida.se/publications SWEDISH INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION AGENCY Address: SE-105 25 Stockholm, Sweden. Office: Valhallavägen 199, Stockholm Telephone: +46 (0)8-698 50 00. Telefax: +46 (0)8-20 88 64 E-mail: [email protected]. Homepage: http://www.sida.se Table of contents Abbreviations and Acronyms ................................................................................................. 7 Preface ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 10 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Truth, Justice and Reparation in the Western Sahara
    Truth, justice and reparation This summary was written with the difficult goal of condensing the in the Western Sahara report titled “The oasis of memory”, the complete version of which contains over 1000 pages in two volumes. The report includes an analysis of human rights violations in the Western Sahara since 1975 based on interviews and testimonies gathered from 261 victims. It The Oasis of Memory also analyzes the impact on individual people, families and women, the forms of resistance of the victims, and, finally, the demands for Carlos Martín Beristain truth, justice and reparation for victims as well as the responses from the state of Morocco. Eloísa González Hidalgo As Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel points out, “In the research work that summarizes the ‘The oasis of memory’ report, Dr. Carlos M. Beristain tries to recover both the Historical Memory and the human rights situation in the Western Sahara, developing an approach that follows the methodology of the Truth Commissions in which he has participated, and combining the psychosocial approach that he contributed to the REMHI Commission in Guatemala, with the importance of gathering direct information and experiences from victims”. The value of memory is in the transformation of life. This report is dedicated to Sahrawi victims and survivors who have made it possible with their courage and generosity. The Oasis of Memory Carlos Martín Beristain MD, is a physician and Doctor of Social Psychology. He has worked for 24 years in Latin America and in the Basque Country with human rights organizations and victims of violence.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender and Generation in the Sahrawi Struggle for Decolonisation
    REGENERATING REVOLUTION: Gender and Generation in the Sahrawi Struggle for Decolonisation by Vivian Solana A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology in a Collaborative with the Women and Gender Studies Institute University of Toronto © Copyright by Vivian Solana, 2017 Regenerating Revolution: Gender and Generation in the Sahrawi Struggle for Decolonisation Vivian Solana Department of Anthropology in a Collaborative with the Women and Gender Studies Institute University of Toronto 2017 Abstract This dissertation investigates the forms of female labour that are sustaining and regenerating the political struggle for the decolonization of the Western Sahara. Since 1975, the Sahrawi national liberation movement—known as the POLISARIO Front—has been organizing itself, while in exile, into a form commensurable with the global model of the modern nation-state. In 1991, a UN mediated peace process inserted the Sahrawi struggle into what I describe as a colonial meantime. Women and youth—key targets of the POLISARIO Front’s empowerment policies—often stand for the movement’s revolutionary values as a whole. I argue that centering women’s labour into an account of revolution, nationalism and state-building reveals logics of long duree and models of female empowerment often overshadowed by the more “spectacular” and “heroic” expressions of Sahrawi women’s political action that feature prominently in dominant representations of Sahrawi nationalism. Differing significantly from globalised and modernist valorisations of women’s political agency, the model of female empowerment I highlight is one associated to the nomadic way of life that predates a Sahrawi project of revolutionary nationalism.
    [Show full text]
  • Western Sahara Page 1 of 4
    Western Sahara Page 1 of 4 Facing the Threat Posed by Iranian Regime | Daily Press Briefing | Other News... Western Sahara Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor March 8, 2006 Morocco claims the Western Sahara territory, with a population of approximately 267 thousand, and administers Moroccan law and regulation in the approximately 85 percent of the territory it controls; however, Morocco and the Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), an organization seeking independence for the region, dispute its sovereignty. Since 1973 the Polisario has challenged the claims of Spain, Mauritania, and Morocco to the territory. The Moroccan government sent troops and settlers into the northern two-thirds of the territory after Spain withdrew in 1975, and extended its administration over the southern province of Oued Ed-Dahab after Mauritania renounced its claim in 1979. Moroccan and Polisario forces fought intermittently from 1975 until the 1991 ceasefire and deployment to the area of a UN peacekeeping contingent, known by its French initials, MINURSO. In 1975 the International Court of Justice advised that during the period of Spanish colonization legal ties of allegiance existed between Morocco and some of the Western Sahara tribes, but the court also found that there were no ties indicating "territorial sovereignty" by Morocco. The court added that it had not found "legal ties" that might affect UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 regarding the de- colonization of the territory and in particular the principle of self-determination for its persons.
    [Show full text]