|
07.03.-20.03.2004 |
06-07.03.04
Mr. Khalil Sidi M'hamed, Minister for the occupied territories of
SADR, took part in the extraordinary Congress of the Swiss Socialist
Party in Basle.
08.03.04
National conference
The representatives of the various Saharawi media, newspapers, radio,
news wire and television met for a two-day national conference
devoted to the improvement of the quality of their work and the
diffusion of information. The conference underlined that
professionals "should continue to conform to the ethics and norms of
the profession, and to keep away from propaganda, so as to produce
credible reports". The conference adopted statutes for National Mass
Medias and a code of conduct for journalists, inspired by these
principles.
The conference addressed a message of congratulations to the Algerian
press and a special motion to the Association for a fair and free
Referendum in Western Sahara (ARSO), for "the selfless courage of its
members who never failed in the mission of informing public opinion
on the conflict from its start." It also congratulated the Basque
committee of support for its technical aid for the National Radio and
the newspaper "Sahara Libre". (SPS)
11.03.04
Spain
Mohamed Abdelaziz presented to King Juan Carlos of Spain and to the
Prime Minister his condolences after the terrorist attacks of Madrid.
(SPS)
14.03.04
Spain
The president of the SADR congratulated Jose Luis Rodríguez
Zapatero on the victory of the PSOE in the elections. He declared
himself convinced that the new Spanish government will not haggle
over the means to allow the Saharawi people to exert their right to
self-determination. (agency)
15.03.04
Military operations
The Saharawi Popular Army proceeded at Mijek (400 km south-eastern of
El Ayoun) with military operations, involving armoured units, heavy
artillery, DCA and mechanized infantry. Five grouping tactics
simulated an attack against a fictitious enemy, sheltered behind a
defensive sand wall full of mines and barbed wire. These operations
proceeded in the presence of many members of the Saharawi community
in Mauritania, which organized a conference on the fringe of the
military activities.(SPS)
18.03.04
African union
The Panafrican Parliament, body of the African Union (AU) composed of
180 members, was officially installed in Addis Ababa. The members of
the Parliament represent the 36 countries (among the 53 Member States
of the AU) which already signed the constitutive protocol of the
Parliament. The SADR is represented by the ladies Soueilma Beirouk
and Mamia Mohamed Habib and by Mr Weddadi Mohamed El Heiba, Brahim
Salem Zroug and Salha El Abd, selected according to three criteria:
equal opportunities between man and woman, parliamentary experience
and proficiency in foreign languages. During its first five years of
existence, the Parliament will have advisory capacities. It will be
equipped in the long term with full legislative powers.
08.03.04
Qatar
During the visit of the crown prince of Qatar, Sheik Tamim Ben Hamad
Al Thani in France, the Foreign Minister Jassem Ben Hamad Ben Jaber,
who accompanied him, answering questions in French indicated that his
country will go to the end in its contribution to the solution of the
problem of the Western Sahara (...) For him, the problem of the
Sahara is the priority of priorities at the present time. (Gazette
du Maroc)
10.03.04
European Parliament
The parliamentary group "Peace for the Sahraoui People", following
the visit of its president to the refugee camps, underlines the
serious deficiencies in humanitarian assistance and particularly in
medical and health supplies suffered at the moment by the Saharawi
refugees. In itsofficial statement it calls for urgent help and
expresses its concern about the alarming situation of the Saharawi
human rights defenders under Moroccan military control. The MEPs also
expressed their will to increase their activities in the next
parliament. (press
release)
CONFIDENCE
BUILDING MEASURES - FAMILY VISITS
19.03.04
The exchanges of visits between Saharawi families continue. A second
group of 24 people on the two sides of the wall stayed from the 12 to
March 17 in El Ayoun and Tindouf respectively, and a new group left
on19th. In its last official statement, the HCR announces that more
than 7' 000 people were registered to take part in the weekly
flights. This number greatly exceeds the forecasts. Priority is given
to the most acute cases, like serious illness of a close relation or
children separated from their parents. For latest information,
press, etc, see special
page
.
08.03.04
Prisons
219 Saharawi prisoners, common law and political, imprisoned in six
prisons in Western Sahara and Morocco, observed a hunger strike on
March 8 and 9 to protest against their conditions of detention. They
ask for a board of inquiry and to be able to receive visits of their
relatives within the framework of the UN HCR program of the HCR.
(Comunicado
de los presos políticos y comunes saharauis , AFAPREDESA
)(Letters
from Inside a Moroccan Prison
>)
08.03.04
Dakhla
Police forces dispersed a sit-in organized outside the town hall of
the wilaya of Dakhla to claim various social rights like the right to
work and the right to housing. During a brutal intervention a
Saharawi citizen, Mohamed Fadel Sidiya Baray was arrested. His
sister, who tried to intervene, was seriously wounded after being
attached to a police car and dragged 50 meters.( AFAPREDESA,
10.03.04, french
)
12.03.04
El Ayoun
"The national Trade union of the Moroccan press, section of El Ayoun,
condemns the attack on the photographer Abdelilah Mouzahim by a
central police chief associated to El Ayoun, the attack took place
while the photographer was trying to cover the arrival of the
Saharawi families last weekend." (Aujourdhui Le
Maroc)
16.03.04
Two brothers, Ali Baiba Fakou ould Hammoudi ould Farraji and Ali
Baiba Haje were arrested at a police checkpoint for an unknown
reason. They are imprisoned in the prison of El Ayoun.
05.03.04
Casablanca
On occasion of a meeting organized by a Moroccan women's NGO in
collaboration with the human rights organizations AMDH and OMDH for
international women's day, the former disappeared and detained
Saharawi woman Aminatou Haidar testified to the repression and
intimidations people have to face from Moroccan authorities in
occupied Western Sahara. She reproached the press and the Moroccan
parties for their silence. The organizing committee gave Aminatou a
gift and promised to visit her and the Saharawi victims of human
rights violations by the Moroccan regime. (Report)
05.03.04
France
People met in Vitry-sur-Seine (near Paris) with the goal of
reconstituting the Committee of the Vallée de la Marne of the
Association of the Friends of the SADR, which had slowed down its
activities for several years.
12.03.04
Luxembourg
Establishment of a committee of support for the Saharawi people in
Luxembourg.
The president of SADR Mohamed Abdelaziz will accomplish a visit to the USA. On March 26 he will speak about the latest Developments on Western Sahara at a lunch organized by the Defense Foundation Forum and the Congressional Defense and Foreign Policy Forum.
Festival du
film de Fribourg, Suisse: en concours le long métrage de Pedro
Rosado, Cuentos de guerra saharaui.
Projections : 23 mars 2004, Cinema Corso 1, 20h30,
25 mars 2004, Cinema Rex 1, 18h15 ,
28 mars 2004, Cinema Alpha, 21h00
Pisa, Italia, Lunedi 29 marzo, Ore 16.00, Sala del Comuni, Via Silvio Pellico, "Il tè nel deserto", Viaggio nell'universo femminile saharawi, Interv.: Umberto Romano, Fatima Mahfoud.
22-25.04.04
Tifariti (liberated territories of SADR)
International march to the wall of shame in Western Sahara
See Information,
program,
(at the moment only in Spanish)
18-20.05.04
Vth Congress of the General Union of the Workers of Saguia el Hamra
and Rio de Oro (UGTSARIO).
Acrostico al pueblo del Sahara Occidental
NEW
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NOUVEAU LIVRE
SAHRAOUIS : EXILS - IDENTITE
Histoire d'exils: Les jeunes Sahraouis, Annaïg Abjean.
L'identité sahraouie en question, Zahra Julien.
Préface de Sophie Caratini
Hors Série No 3, L'Ouest saharien, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2004, 238 p.
English
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Castellano
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