News
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Australians are receiving, without knowing it, 'stolen' goods from Western Sahara, Africa's last colony. Opinion by Melainin Lakhal in Australian newspaper Geelong Advertiser.

Published 20 June 2007
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Opening presentation done by Front Polisario on the first day of negotaitions with Morocco, in New York, June 18th 2007.

Published 19 June 2007
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11 Sahrawis were injured as the police stopped a demonstration in El Aaiun June 14th. Four families got their houses ransacked. See the pictures here.
Published 17 June 2007
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Senia Abderahman, former student at the United World Colleges in Fjaler, Norway, recounts the story of her grandmother.

Published 15 June 2007
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Following pressure from the UN and pro-Sahrawi activists, most serious oil companies pulled out of Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. But now, a new group of fortune hunters is eying great financial opportunities in the probably oil-rich territory, ignoring international law. Investors from Ireland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the US and Sweden hide behind a jungle of interwoven small companies.

Published 10 June 2007
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The American oil company Kosmos Energy writes in a recent presentation that they plan to drill for oil on behalf of the Moroccan government in the occupied areas in 2009. According to the UN, that would be illegal.

Published 04 June 2007

Political parties from the far right to the far left come together to support Sahrawi students after attacks from Moroccan police.

Published 30 May 2007
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The last two weeks, Sahrawi students at colleges and universities across Morocco and Western Sahara have been subjected to serious human rights violations. Today, 43 Norwegian organisations signed a letter to the Moroccan government, demanding that the attacks on Sahrawi students are stopped, and that their rights are respected.

Published 23 May 2007
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Europapress: NGOs supporting Western Sahara accuse the firm FMC Foret of plundering 500.000 tonnes of phosphates yearly.
Published 18 May 2007
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See the latest photos of the Sahrawi student, Sultana Khaya, here.

Published 18 May 2007
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- Diplomatic activities between Morocco and Israel have been on a high gear lately, despite the fact that Rabat broke its ties with Jerusalem six years ago. Sahrawi sources claim to have proof Morocco is offering the resumption of full diplomatic relations with Israel in exchange for a strong Israeli lobbying in favour of Rabat's Western Sahara policies.

Published 18 May 2007
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Read the shocking testimony of the Sahrawi student, Sultana Khaya Sidi Brahim, who lost her eye from the police beatings last week.

Published 15 May 2007
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More than 30 Sahrawi students have been beaten by Moroccan police over the last week.
Published 13 May 2007
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The exiled government of Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara for the first time eyes hope of recognition by European states as several political parties are taking this into their programmes. Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco since 1975 but is a full-fledged member of the African Union (AU).
Published 03 May 2007
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The UN Security Council Monday adopted a resolution that asks Morocco and Polisario to enter into direct talks. Since the parties have already stated that they are willing to give negitiations a new, chance, we now see a new development in the story about the last colony on the African continent.
Published 02 May 2007
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A resolution passed yesterday at the annual congress of European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) in Berlin, demands the recognition of the Saharawi Arabic Democratic Republic. The resolution was tabled by the Young Liberals of Norway. LYMEC has a quarter of a million members in 37 European states.

Published 22 April 2007
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The Sahrawi youngster El Ouali Amidane was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison for having participated in a demonstration last October.
Published 19 April 2007
Elkouria Amidane (22) studies English at the Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech. Against the backdrop of one of Morocco's livelier tourist destinations, her younger brother's fate is to be decided today. She now pleads for Norwegian help to put pressure on Moroccan authorities so that he is not punished severely.
Published 17 April 2007
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One of the companies of shipowner Kristian Eidesvik is a large investor in disputed Western Sahara. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against such practice. "Theft of our resources", says activist Aminatou Haidar. Bergens Tidende daily, March 10, 2007.

Published 10 April 2007
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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 2007
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- A good opportunity to discuss the violations in occupied Western Sahara, says the Support Committee.

Published 04 April 2007
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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 2007
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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 2007
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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 2007
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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 2007

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 2007
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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 2007
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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 2007
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"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 2007
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Once again, Moroccan authorities have detained a Western journalist interested in the Western Sahara issue.
Published 21 February 2007
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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 2007
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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 2007
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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 2007
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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 2007
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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 2007
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Norway has not stopped the import of fish oil from the Moroccan–occupied 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 2007

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 2007
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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 2007
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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 plant's raw materials derive from.

Published 24 January 2007
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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 2007
Download pictures of the Romanian company's cars in Dakhla here.
Published 05 December 2006