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This site is dedicated to the innocent Saharawi people who lost their lives in Gdaym Izik where Moroccan security officials forcefully and brutally destroyed the camp of Gdaym Izik. The Moroccan security forces used live ammunition, tear gas, and water cannons. Morocco is barring journalists from the occupied territory of Western Sahara and their has been little international coverage to the massacre in Gdaym Izik .

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What Happend
Laayoune(occupied territories) Nov8,2010(SPS) The Moroccan Troops has started early this morning a forcible dismantling of the Gdaim Izik camp, where more than 20,000 Sahrawi have set up tents to claim their human rights in the Western Sahara.The Moroccan troops used helicopters which launched a kind of flares that explode in the air to scare the Sahrawi s, in addition to tear gas against thousands of children, women and elders, leaving a number of casualties between Saharawi protesters.Army units armed with sticks and batons intervened and started dismantling the camp were confrontations with residences of the camp left victims among the protesters. After heard the news, the Saharawi population of Laayoune city demonstrated to denounce the intervention of Moroccan forces against defenseless saharawis in Gdaim Izik camp. “It's genocide against us, they did not distinguish between a woman and a child, "said, the Sahrawi human rights activist, Ahmed Moussawi, by phone to SPS, before the cut off communication from the camp."There is the sound of firing, and the proliferation of thousands of police and auxiliary forces in all neighborhoods of the city of Laayoune, and confrontations between the forces of occupation, and defenseless civilians east of the city where thousands of Sahrawi citizens gathered after hearing the news of military intervention against the camp.” He Said.(SPS)080/090/TRA81030Nov2010SPSMorning Star, Wednesday 10 November 2010 Morocco in 'brutal' assault on Saharawi by Our Foreign Desk.Western Saharan liberation movement the Polisario Front put the number killed in a brutal offensive by Moroccan security forces at 11 today. It said 723 people were hurt and another 159 people were still unaccounted for following the violent assault which began on Monday with a raid on a camp of 20,000 Saharawi people six miles from the main city of Laayoune. Moroccan police reportedly mounted house-to-house searches in the city following their initial assault. "Every now and then you hear something, screams and everything," said Saharawi activist Brahim Ahmed. Polisario spokesman Bucharaya Beyun said that clashes had broken out after police rounded up large numbers of people in Laayoune. He accused Morocco of provoking the violence in order to derail UN-sponsored talks aimed at ending one of the world's longest-running conflicts. Discussions over the future of Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara ended without agreement in New York earlier this week. Mr Beyun said: "With what it did yesterday, Morocco wanted the negotiations to break down and thought we would not attend the negotiations. At the end of the talks, the Moroccan Foreign Minister Taib Fassi Fihri, said his country was "ready and open to these negotiations", but dismissed calls in support of a referendum that would give multiple options to Saharans, including independence from Moroccan rule. The Moroccan foreign minister dubbed Polisario's quest for independence as "outdated", and said that self-determination does not necessarily go through this mechanism which is rarely used in practice. He reiterated Moroccan position that the solution to settle the issue of Western Sahara requires "compromise and realism". For their part, the Polisario Front leaders held that they would never compromise on their demand for independence, although they had no objection to a referendum in which people could be asked whether they wanted an autonomous status in Morocco or complete independence. "We are ready to accept all Moroccan interests. We are open-minded. Ours is a very democratic position," said Mhamed. Both sides expressed their confidence in the mediator's efforts to bring them to the negotiating table and agreed to hold two more rounds of talks in December and January 2011. "Ross tried to push for the negotiations to next level, but the problem lies with the Security Council and the secretary-general," said Mhamed. "So far, there is not a single word from the Security Council or the secretary- general on this issue." In the past, Saharan leaders repeatedly pointed to France as one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council that backs Morocco's claim over Western Sahara, and that exerted its influence on the Council members who enjoy veto power. Mhamed said the Moroccans were unwilling to leave Western Sahara because it was extremely rich with natural resources, such as phosphate, uranium, gold, and diamond. "It's all about minerals," he said. "They are our neighbours. We will not ask them for any compensation. But we will not compromise on independence."

Video Crónica 08 de Noviembre de 2010

Reaction

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MADRID, Nov13,2010 (SPS) — Thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid on Saturday against Morocco’s recent attack that has left tens of people dead , thousands injured and many others were missing in occupied city of Laayoune.Many protesters blamed Spain for not taking a firmer stance against human rights abuses by Morocco’s police and army in the territory.The demonstration organized by the Coordination of Spanish Associations of Solidarity with the Saharawi People (CEAS) in collaboration with the presentation of Polisario Front in Spain.Demonstration organizers said in a statement that the Moroccan government had sent in soldiers and police to quash legal demands to mark the 35th anniversary of the territory’s annexation by Morocco.Among those protesting on Saturday was Hollywood actor Javier Bardem, as well as Spanish lawmakers, political parties and other political, civil rights and trade union leaders.“There’s a lot of people here as you can tell, just to condemn the violation of human rights in Sahara and to try to make the international community and especially the government of Spain understand that diplomacy is about human rights,” Bardem said.Protesters on the streets of Madrid chanted and carried banners, demanding Morocco quit of the Western Sahara that it has annexed since 1975 after Spain withdrew from the area.They marched about a mile (2 kilometres) from Atocha railway station to downtown Sol square carrying banners saying “Morocco out of the Sahara, 35 years of occupation is enough”, “Morocco guilty, Spain responsible,” and “Free western Sahara.”“The reason for this protest is to ask our government, as former occupying power of Western Sahara, to resolve this conflict,” said Juan Carlos Caballero, 46, president of the North Madrid association of friends of the Saharawi people.Banners from many parts of Spain could be seen at the demonstration which also included live music and street performers dressed in the red, green, black and white of the Saharawi flag. (SPS)AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL  Press Release   11 November 2010 Calls for investigation into deaths in Western Sahara protest camp The Moroccan authorities must open an independent investigation into events that led to a number of deaths and injuries at Gadaym Izik, a protest camp near Laayoune, Western Sahara, Amnesty International said today. The government says nine people were killed during Monday’s operation and in its aftermath, including eight members of the security forces. Local human rights activists have told Amnesty International that 11 camp residents were seen lying injured on the ground, some of whom were bleeding while others had been burnt. According to reports, thousands of Sahrawis were also forcibly removed from the protest camp by Moroccan security forces. “This was clearly a very serious incident and one that threatens to fuel further tension in Western Sahara,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director Middle East and North Africa. “The Moroccan authorities must launch an immediate, independent inquiry and get to the bottom of what occurred and consider asking the UN to assist” “We need to know what sparked the security forces’ action and whether the force they used was reasonable and proportionate or excessive. If excessive force was used, those responsible must be held to account.” According to accounts received by Amnesty International, the first residents knew of the impending security forces’ action was at about 6am on Monday when a helicopter flew over the camp ordering the residents to leave. Minutes later, the security forces are said to have forced their way into the camp, beating residents and using tear gas and cannons firing hot water to force them out of their tents which were then burnt or bulldozed. The Moroccan authorities say that the operation was necessary to free camp residents who were being held there against their will. They say too that the security forces encountered serious resistance.   Morocco’s official news agency has reported that five police or other security officials were killed and three others died on Tuesday from injuries they had sustained, and that one Sahrawi man was accidentally killed by a speeding police car in Laayoune. His death is being investigated, according to the authorities.   Little information has yet emerged directly from residents who were removed from the camp and the site itself has been effectively sealed off by Moroccan security forces.   In Laayoune itself, a few kilometres west of the camp, demonstrators are reported to have attacked and damaged public buildings, banks, shops and other properties in the aftermath of the security force operation.   The Gadaym Izik camp, an informal settlement of tents and makeshift dwellings containing thousands of people, was established last month by Sahrawis angered by what they say is their marginalization by the Moroccan authorities and in support of their demand for jobs and adequate housing.   The Sahrawis say that though they are indigenous to Western Sahara, they do not receive a fair share of the benefits from the region’s natural resources and land, and that the local authorities have failed to respond to their demands for better socio-economic conditions.   Monday’s violence coincided with the start of new informal talks about the future of Western Sahara between the Moroccan authorities and the Polisario Front, a group which calls for the independence of Western Sahara and runs a self-declared government in exile - the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The talks were convened in New York at the behest of the UN’s special envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross.   “This latest incident highlights once again the urgent need to include a human rights monitoring component in the Mandate of MINURSO, the UN body which monitors the cease-fire agreement between Morocco and the Polisario Front reached almost 20 years ago in 1991,” said Malcolm Smart.   “The absence of a specific human rights monitoring component has undermined MINURSO’s effectiveness and allowed human rights abuses to pass without adequate investigation.”    Public Document **************************************** For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press_amnesty.org International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK
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Petitions

Send petitions

This link will direct you to APDHE web site to sign a petition to ask the Government of Spain to assume its responsibilities regarding the conflict in Western Sahara by denouncing the "Madrid Agreement" and acting accordingly.

By filling this form you will send an e-mail, in your own language, to all of your country's representatives in the European Parliament. Ask them to require the Moroccan government the cessation of all kind of violence against the Sahrawi population, and your own demands. Please be polite in order to get your petitions heard.

NEW

Gradient EU Resolution
24 November 2010: European Parliament resolution on the situation in Western SaharaThe European Parliament,- having regard to the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council concerning Western Sahara,- having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1920 (2010), which extended the existing mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO),–- having regard to the UN Secretary General's latest reports to the Security Council on the situation concerning Western Sahara of 14 April 2008, 13 April 2009 and 6 April 2010,–- having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Morocco on 3 May 1979,- having regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Union and the Member States of the one part, and the Kingdom of Morocco, of the other part, especially Article 2 of that agreement,- having regard to the EU statement of 7 December 2009 concerning the 8th Session of the EU-Morocco Association Council and the joint statement issued at the first EU-Morocco Summit of 7 March 2010,–- having regard in particular to the conclusions drawn from the visits by Parliament’s ad hoc delegation for Western Sahara in September 2006 and January 2009 which called for the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to be expanded, subject to the agreement of all parties concerned, so as to assign to it competence to monitor respect for human rights in Western Sahara, and which called on the Commission, also or if appropriate, by means of its Delegation in Rabat, to monitor the human rights situation in Western Sahara and regularly send missions there,–- having regard to its previous resolutions on Western Sahara, in particular that of 27 October 20051,–- having regard to the statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on Western Sahara of 10 November 2010,–- having regard to statements by the Council and Commission of 24 November 2010 on the situation in Western Sahara,–- having regard to Rule 110(4) of its Rules of Procedure,A. whereas several thousand Sahrawi left their cities and pitched tents in the outskirts of El Aaiun, setting up the Gdaim Izyk camp in peaceful protest at their social, political and economic situation and living conditions,B. whereas after several weeks they numbered some 15 000 persons, according to United Nations observers, and whereas dialogue was established with the authorities,C. whereas on Sunday, 24 October, Nayem El-Garhi, a Sahrawi teenager aged 14, was killed and five others were injured by Moroccan military forces while they were trying to reach the camp in the outskirts of El Aaiun,D. whereas on 8 November 2010 a still unknown number of people, including police officers and security officials, were killed during Moroccan security forces' action with the aim of dismantling the protest camp of Gdaim Izyk; whereas there have also been reports of a significant number of wounded civilians as security forces used teargas and batons to clear the camp,E. whereas these incidents occurred on the same day on which the third cycle of informal talks on the status of Western Sahara opened in New York, with the participation of Morocco, the Polisario Front and the observer countries, Algeria and Mauritania,F. whereas journalists, EU national and regional parliamentarians and Members of the European Parliament were prevented from entering El Aaiun and Gdaim Izyk camp, while some were even expelled from El Aaiun, G. having regard to the violent death of the Spanish citizen Babi Hamday Buyema in circumstances which have not yet been established,H. whereas after more than 30 years the decolonisation process of Western Sahara remains unfinished,I. whereas the EU remains concerned about the conflict in Western Sahara and its regional consequences and implications, including the human rights situation in Western Sahara, and fully supports the efforts by the Secretary General of the United Nations and his Personal Envoy to find a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution which will allow the self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara as provided for in the resolutions of the United Nations,J. whereas several reports have shown that natural resources of Western Sahara are being exploited without any benefit to the local population,1. Expresses its greatest concern about the significant deterioration of the situation in Western Sahara and strongly condemns the violent incidents which occurred in Gdaim Izyk camp while it was being dismantled and in the town of Laâyoune;2. Calls on all parties to remain calm and refrain from any further violence;3. Deplores the loss of human life and expresses its solidarity with the families of the dead, the injured and the disappeared;4. Notes the setting-up by the Moroccan Parliament of a committee of inquiry to investigate the course of events which led to the intervention by the Moroccan authorities, but considers that the United Nations would be the most appropriate body to conduct an independent international inquiry in order to clarify the events, the deaths and the disappearances;5. Regrets the attacks on the freedom of press and information that many European journalists have suffered and demands that the Kingdom of Morocco permit free access to, and free movement in, Western Sahara for the press, independent observers and humanitarian organisations; deplores the ban imposed by the Moroccan authorities on entry to Western Sahara for parliamentarians, journalists, the media and independent observers;6. Insists on the necessity to call on UN bodies to propose the setting-up of a human rights monitoring mechanism in Western Sahara;7. Welcomes the resumption of informal meetings between Morocco and the Polisario Front under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary General's Personal Envoy, even under such tense circumstances, and calls on the regional actors to play a constructive role;8. Recalls its support for the resumption of the informal talks between the parties to the conflict with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions;9. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the necessary humanitarian aid with increased funding be allocated to Sahrawi refugees, estimated to number between 90 000 and 165 000, living in the region of Tindouf in order to help them to meet their basic needs for food, water, housing and medical care and to improve their living conditions;10. Expresses its concern about the detention and allegations of harassment of Sahrawi human rights defenders in the Western Saharan territory; calls for human rights defenders held in prisons in the territory or in Morocco to be treated in accordance with international standards and to be tried swiftly and justly;11. Calls on the EU to demand that the Kingdom of Morocco abide by international law regarding the exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara; 12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the UN Secretary General, the Secretary-General of the African Union, the EP Delegation for Relations with the Maghreb Countries, the Bureau of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliament and Government of Morocco, the Polisario Front, and the Parliaments and Governments of Algeria and Mauritania.
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EU Parliament Resolution on Gdaym Izik and Western Sahara situation

Background

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1884

At the Berlin Conference the European powers divide up the

African continent. Spain commences its colonisation of

Western Sahara.

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1912

Frontiers of Western Sahara confirmed by France and Spain

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1920 - 1934

Saharawis resistance against the French army

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1934

Spain took full possession of the territory of Western Sahara

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1956 - 1958

Battles between Sahrawi resistance and Spanish troops

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1960

UN Declaration 1514 (XV)

(Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples)

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1963

Western Sahara included in the UN list of countries to be decolonized (declaration 1966 calling for self-determination to be exercised through referendum)

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1967 - 1973

Formation of new Sahrawi resistance against the Spanish colonial power

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1973

Polisario Front founded

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1974 - 1975

Spanish census and a plan to hold a referendum

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1975

October: International Court of Justice advisory decision: Western Sahara has right to self-determination and referendum (UN/GA)

14-November: The Madrid Agreement, Spain cedes Western Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania.

November: Moroccan and Mauritanian troops invade the Western Sahara

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1976 - 1977

26/Feb/1976: Spain officially cedes Western Sahara.

27/Feb/1976: The Sahara Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is proclaimed by Polisario.

1976 - 1977: Guerrilla war on two fronts (Moroccan and Mauritania)

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1979

Mauritania withdraws its claim on Western Sahara and recognizes the right of Western Sahara to self-determination

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1984

SADR (Sahara Arab Democratic Republic) becomes a member of the OAU, Morocco abandons the organisation.

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1988

The UN/OAU proposal for a ceasefire to be followed by a referendum on self-determination accepted by Morocco and Polisario.

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1991

The UN Mission MINURSO is established (UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara). MINURSO will oversee the implementation of the peace plan. The ceasefire between Polisario and Morocco begins.

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1997

The Houston Accords on the modalities of a referendum are signed by both Morocco and Polisario.

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2001

King Mohamed VI of Morocco declares the referendum process as obsolete, dismissing international laws and UN resolutions

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2003

Second version of the Framework Agreement (Baker II). A modified version of the former Framework Agreement from 2001 (Baker I). The Framework Agreement is accepted by Polisario as a basis for negotiations but rejected by Morocco. Morocco does not accept independence as an option.

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2010

( Gdaym Izik )

35 Years of oppression and human rights violations by Morocco in the occupied territories of Western Sahara and the lack of enforcement of international laws and justice for Sahrawi people resulted in the peacefull set up of Gdaym Izik camp

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References: ISBN 91-7106-572-5 (2006): The Western Sahara conflict, The Role of Natural Resources in Decolonization. By Pedro Pinto Leite, et al.

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Gdaym-Izik 2010

e-mail: info_gdaym-izik.comWestern Sahara SupportersToronto - Canada
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