A week ago, it appears that Moroccan forces violently shut down the protest camps of unarmed Sahrawis outside the occupied territory’s capital, Laayoune. The Sahrawis, who numbered approximately 20,000, were unarmed and protesting peacefully. This incident highlights the reality of occupation for Sahrawis in the territory and puts paid to the claims of Morocco’s propagandists that all is well under Moroccan rule. One such wrote an article in Foreign Policy magazine, repeating Morocco’s hollow offer of autonomy (which is really a continuation of the status quo of repressive occupation). His article at first failed to mention his paid relationship with the Moroccan government. Foreign Policy had failed to check his credentials. The article was later amended. With the help of the ID team, I responded with an article setting out the facts of the occupation, the violence and the legal rights of the Sahrawis.
This is a picture of the camps after Morocco’s forces destroyed them. Latest reports are of 20 dead and over 700 missing. To be missing in a Moroccan prison is a frightening prospect…
