The Last African Colony
Ever heard of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic? Not many people have. Perhaps this is so because the Sahrawi territory, whose size is close to that of the United Kingdom (13 times bigger than Israel and 45 times as big as the West Bank), has been occupied by Arab Morocco for decades. They have therefore been forced to seek refuge in the Sahara desert, in Algerian territory while the land they once called home remains in Moroccan possession.
With a population of approximately 500,000 people, the Sahrawi people are experiencing one of the most interesting social and political conditions of our century: existing in a “State in Exile” for over 35 years. Although they live in tents and are at the mercy of the elements, the Sahrawi people have managed to organize themselves into territories governed by popular leaders under one President. Never mind the fact that their President is but a President of a refugee camp!
The Sahrawi Arabs have lived in refugee camps for over 35 years in the most inhospitable conditions and are most probably the poorest people on earth! The temperature in the refugee camps reaches IN SHADE a scorching 135 F (57.2 Celsius) in summer and plunges below freezing in winter. Imagine living a life of constant dread of the sand storms that rip through the refugee camps without warning and flash floods that wipe out everything in their paths. Through continuous sweating and intake of water, the salt concentration in their bodies fall and causes severe cramping of muscles and headaches. This is further compounded by the lack of adequate health care, causing thousands to die from epidemics. Their survival is based solely on the generosity of foreign countries.
According to the United Nations, the Western Sahara remains one of the last non-self governing territories. Morocco controls most of the territory, but the legality of this is not internationally recognized, and was disputed militarily by the Polisario Front, an Algerian-backed movement which eventually claimed partial independence for the territory as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in 1976.
Since then, the Sahrawi people have continued to struggle for their freedom and self determination against the illegal occupation of their sovereign nation by the Moroccan Government. The Moroccan Government has stubbornly ignored the International Community’s call for the decolonization of this territory, resorting to an imposition of harsher and more repressive policies aimed at emasculating their national aspiration and desire for freedom. Morocco even sacrificed its membership of the African Union in protest of the union’s recognition of SADR, making Morocco the only African country who isn’t a member of the AU.
After an attempt a few years back to negotiate an agreement with Morocco collapsed, the Saharawi Democratic Republic issue has been relegated to the back burner. But all that is about to change…
In a few weeks, the world will converge in Abuja Nigeria for a conference which will revive this matter and hopefully, lay it to a final rest. Watch this space for more updates.
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