MPs condemn Teenager’s death as Moroccan forces open fire on Saharawi
MPs have today condemned last night’s shooting in which a 14 year old Saharawi boy was killed and several others injured by the Moroccan Security Forces surrounding the Gdeim Izik protest camp in Moroccan occupied Western Sahara.
Over 10,000 Saharawi (Western Saharan) protesters moved out of cities across Western Sahara in a mass exodus on the 9th October and are living in an impromptu tented city outside El Aauin the capital of Western Sahara. Numbers in the camp are growing daily as Saharawi protestors come together to highlight the ongoing discrimination and abuse that they experience as a result of the 35 year Moroccan occupation. The Moroccan Security Forces have surrounded the camp in an attempt to prevent people from entering as well as stopping supplies of food, water and medicine reaching the camp. Several organisations including the Western Sahara Campaign have warned that this could become a major humanitarian crisis.
The boy named as Garhi Nayem was part of a group attempting to enter the camp in a vehicle when it was shot at by Moroccan Security Forces. The injured, which include his brother, have been taken to the military hospital in El Aauin.
Today a delegation of MPs and Peers raised concerns over the situation in Western Sahara with Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt MP.
One of the group Jonathan Evans MP said this morning: "This death is a tragedy, but there are fears this is just the beginning. The UK government can help by urgently raising the issue with the Moroccan authorities to ensure the safety of those who peacefully protest the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara."
Jeremy Corbyn MP Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Western Sahara said: "This is a tragedy and a disgrace and...I’ll be asking that the UK government make the strongest possible reps to the Moroccans not only to allow safe passage, but also to end the political stalemate by allowing the people of the Western Sahara the free choice to decide the future of their own land."
Mark Williams MP said: "I will be raising this issue with the Minister. We cannot continue to ignore the brutality of the Moroccan authorities against those who peacefully demonstrate for their right to independence. The first step is for the Security Council to implement human rights monitoring in Western Sahara."
The protest camp was timed to coincide with the visit of UN Envoy Christopher Ross who is currently touring the region. Last week he called the current impasse over Western Sahara ‘untenable’. He arrived in Morocco on Friday as part of the preparation for the direct negotiations between the parties in November.
The POLISARIO, the representatives of the people of Western Sahara have been warning the UN that action must be taken to prevent violence by the Moroccan Security forces against the protestors.
WESTERN SAHARA CAMPAIGN UK
The Western Sahara Campaign works in solidarity with the Saharawi people to generate political support in order to advance their right to self-determination and to promote their human rights.
Our role is to lobby the UK Government and the EU. You can help us to ensure the UK does not ignore the voice of the Saharawi people.
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