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Saharawis refuse terrorism - forgotten refugees

bh | 01.10.2001 21:09

forgotten war, forgotten refugees


The Saharawis - forgotten war, forgotten refugees.
The Western Sahara was a Spanish Colony from the late 1800s until the mid 70s. The country is rich in minerals and for this reason as colonial rule came to an end, Morocco invaded the country in 1975. Because of the mineral wealth involved, the Moroccans built a 'great wall' almost two thousand miles long to keep the rebel Polisario army at bay, and construction of the wall was financed with U.S. assistance. The country was supposed to hold a referendum on becoming independent or a part of Morocco, but dissidents suggest that Morrocos attempt to stack the deck by moving settlers into Western Sahara has failed and thus Morocco is less than enthusiastic about the idea. There are numerous reports of torture being used in the country as Morocco attempts to hold onto the mineral wealth the country supplies. Meanwhile, 150,000 refugees have been living in camps in the middle of the barren Sahara in Algeria dependent on food aid. The Polisario suggest that the reason they are forgotten is that they have not turned to terrorism and kidnapping to bring their cause to the world's attention.

You can watch a 17 minute video on the situation in the Western Sahara and the Saharawi refugees by following this link (Real player required - you can right click on the picture and choose the zoom option to double the size of the image) --> Saharawi video

bh
- Homepage: www.awitness.org/