T
tariq
Guest
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. The polisario is
the product of another era prior the Collapse of the totalitarian
System, 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 democraty, 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
polisari
ne 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
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. The polisario is
the product of another era prior the Collapse of the totalitarian
System, 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 democraty, 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
polisari
ne of the totalitarian stigmata that continue to weighagainst 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