News
During his five day long official visit to Morocco, the president of the Norwegian parliament, Mr. Thorbjorn Jagland, will raise the human rights situation in Western Sahara with the Moroccan authorities. Jagland will exert pressure on the Moroccan authorities to allow a Nordic delegation into the occupied area, and he believes the controversial Royal Council for Saharan affairs is to be considered a part of Morocco's occupation policy. Read article in Verdensmagasinet X.
Published 03 April 07
Aminatou Haidar has been imprisoned and tortured because of her struggle for Africa's last colony. She now appeals for Norwegian recognition of Western Sahara as an independent state. Vårt Land (Oslo, Norway) March 9th 2007.
Published 15 March 07
My name is Lamira and I was born in 1988 as a refugee. I spent my childhood in a camp called Dakhla in southern Algeria, which is one of five camps for refugees from Western Sahara. I lived there with my mother, and I have no brothers or sisters.
Published 14 March 07
The Sahrawi human rights activist Aminatou Haidar celebrated Women's Day 2007 in Bergen. Written by chairman of the Rafto Foundation, Arne Lynngård.
Published 13 March 07
Join the letter that is being sent to the UN Secretary General. Campaign launched by WS Task Force and Belgian Committee Of Support to the Saharawi People. [THIS SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN IS NOW TERMINATED].
Published 11 March 07
The Sahrawi female Mariam Rgaibi, who is sentenced to 6 years in the prison, Elaalaoui-Hafidi Fatima Zahra, is on hunger strike for the third week and her health is deteriorating alarmingly.
Published 09 March 07
Wednesday 7 March at 11.30, the Norwegian Section of Amnesty International, the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara and the Human Rights House Foundation co-host an open meeting at the Human Rights House in Oslo, with the well-known Saharawi human rights defender Aminatou Haidar.
Published 06 March 07
The Norwegian Liberal Party adopted at a meeting of the National Board on 24th-25th of February a resolution that urges Norway, as the first European state, to recognise Western Sahara as an independent state.
Published 01 March 07
"Two of my friends were arrested because of me. Not that I had known them for a long time. But it was because we were together they were arrested." By Thomas Frantsvold, Rafto Foundation.
Published 27 February 07
Once again, Moroccan authorities have detained a Western journalist interested in the Western Sahara issue.
Published 21 February 07
Last week, Rafto Award Winner Sidi Mohammed Daddach met with Norwegian Minister for International Development, Erik Solheim. Daddach thanked him for the Norwegian solidarity with his people, and begged for further assistance to protect civilian Sahrawis against the Moroccan oppression in the occupied Western Sahara.
Published 19 February 07
Welcome to open seminar in Red Cross United World Colleges in Fjaler on February 19th 2007. Main speaker is human rights activist Sidi Mohammed Daddach.
Published 13 February 07
The homepages of the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, launched this week, will contain the latest news about the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, and the struggle against the occupation in Norway, in Western Sahara and internationally. The pages are at the moment only launched in Norwegian and English, but French and Spanish versions are on their way.
Published 09 February 07
The conflict in Western Sahara has led to serious human rights violations. Thousands of Sahrawis live in the refugee camps in Algeria, the freedom of expression is limited and use of torture is being reported. The Rafto Foundation and Amnesty group at the University of Bergen arranges Feb 13th 2007 a seminar on the conflict and the human rights situation in Western Sahara. Main speaker is Rafto laureate from 2002, Sidi Mohammed Daddach.
Published 09 February 07
In the Algerian hammada, a hot and harsh region of the Sahara, more than half the Sahrawi people have been waiting for 31 years to go home. See article by Norwegian Refugee Council in latest issue of Forced Migration Review.
Published 27 January 07
The construction of a Norwegian fishery plant planned for El Aaiun in Morocco-occupied Western Sahara was in 2005 stopped at the last minute. After intervention by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs it was instead decided to place the plant in Morocco. But neither the exporter nor the importer can tell us anything about where the plants raw materials derive from.
Published 24 January 07
From: Unknown harbour in Morocco. That is how Western Sahara fish oil that reaches Norway is registered. Western Sahara is occupied by Morocco, and Norwegian authorities advise against the trade.
Published 24 January 07
Norway has not stopped the import of fish oil from the Moroccanoccupied Western Sahara. The Norwegian exporter in Western Sahara is uncertain about who receives the oil, whereas the importer in Norway is uncertain about where the fish oil actually originates from. The two managers are partners in a third Norwegian fish-oil company.
Published 24 January 07
A small brokerage firm outside Oslo has played a key role in linking the Moroccan fishing industry in occupied Western Sahara with buyers on the world market. The company does not wish to comment on the relationship.
Published 24 January 07
Today, the rally circus speeds through Western Sahara, a desert country occupied by Morocco. The serious human rights violations in the country is a non-topic, both for the organisers, the participants and visiting journalists.
Published 14 January 07