Malainin Lakhal
17 November 2011, Pambazuka news/allAfrica.com

The prisoners were taken from a group of more than 200 activists arrested by Moroccan authorities a year ago. And as Malainin Lakhal reports, Morocco has over 60 Saharawi prisoners of conscience, including eminent human rights defender Naama Asfari.

Twenty-four Saharawi human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience, who are to appear before a Moroccan court-martial, are on hunger strike since 31 October, after being one year imprisonment without appearing before a court.

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24 October 2011

The Australia Western Sahara Association today condemned the terrorist
attack on the Saharawi refugee camps that resulted in international aid
workers being injured and kidnapped.

AWSA expresses its deepest sympathy for victims and their families and
solidarity with the Saharawi people.

Three European aid workers, two Spanish citizens and one an Italian, working in the Saharawi refugee camps, were kidnapped on Saturday night by terrorists.
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Statement by Aminattou Haidar condemning the terrorist act against foreign sympathizers
23 October 2011

On Saturday night 22 October 2011 an unknown armed group has kidnapped three foreign solidarity workers who were in a humanitarian mission in the Saharawi refugee camps.

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In a letter sent to UNHCR dated 30 September 2011, AWSA calls for urgent action by the UN Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene and protect Saharawis who are under violent attack by Moroccan settlers in the city of  Dakhla in occupied Western Sahara. It is understood that the Moroccan security forces and police have not acted to protect the lives and property of the indigenous Saharawi.

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Western Sahara clash exposes tensions with Moroccans
By Souhail Karam

DAKHLA, Western Sahara (Reuters) – Moroccan security forces deployed in the city of Dakhla in the disputed territory of Western Sahara this week after an outburst of violence that pitted members of the indigenous Sahrawi population against their Moroccan neighbours.

Moroccan officials said 7 people were killed after rival groups of supporters clashed following a soccer match last Sunday, and local criminals then joined in the violence.

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Statement by Saharawi Human rights NGOs and committees following the recent brutal crackdown by Moroccan armed militias

“Since 25 September 2011, the Saharawi civilians in Dakhla, in the south of Western Sahara, are facing brutal and oppressive attacks from Moroccan armed militias. These militias reside in the Alwakala neighbourhood, home to thousands of Moroccan settlers brought into the territory by the Moroccan government in 1991, to participate in the envisioned referendum in Western Sahara…..

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AWSA summarises a week of violence and repression in Dakhla on the southern coast of occupied Western Sahara.

Disturbing news is coming out of Dakhla, the southern city in occupied Western Sahara. It appears that violence erupted on Sunday 25 September as people were leaving a football match between the local Saharawi team and a Moroccan team from Casablanca. The police and security forces stepped back to allow Moroccan settlers to attack Saharawis, it was reported, see : http://www.spsrasd.info/en (in English)

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The Stream, Al Jazeera
Western Sahara’s stalled revolution?

On today’s episode of The Stream, Kamal Fadel joins via Skype to discuss the current status of Western Sahara. Fadel is the Polisario Front representative to Australia and a pro-independence activist.

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