PHOTOS: Sergio Betancort
The Sahrawi activist Aminetu Haidar arrived this Tuesday at the Lanzarote airport of Guacimeta, where 5 years ago she held a hunger strike that lasted 32 days, to begin a tour of the Canary Islands. In the same place where she appeared daily during her protest in 2009, she addressed the media to express her concern about the human rights situation in Western Sahara. Haidar states that "unfortunately, 5 years later, the human rights situation remains the same" and denounces "a discourse full of hatred and chauvinism against the Saharawis" by the Moroccan government.
In her appearance, Haidar strongly criticized the King of Morocco's treatment of the Saharawi people, stating that "Moroccan prisons are full of young Saharawis. There is no freedom. The King of Morocco wants to end freedom of expression and opinion." She also pointed out that she and her circle of human rights activists are "concerned because there are official instructions from the Moroccan royal palace to the intelligence services to carry out attacks against Saharawis."
The "key" role of Spain
Faced with this situation, the activist has denounced that "MINURSO is a blind international witness, who has blindfolded eyes" in reference to the claim that has been made for years within Saharawi activism for this United Nations mission in Western Sahara to "monitor the protection of human rights."
On this issue, Haidar has reiterated that they demand "the international community and, above all, the Security Council to act for a UN security mechanism that monitors human rights, either with the expansion of MINURSO or another mechanism that has these powers."
Regarding the role of the international community, the activist has argued that "the Security Council has to make a definitive decision to end this conflict" and has insisted that the United Nations body "issue a firm resolution in favor of the application of the referendum in the Sahara or another solution that respects the right to self-determination" of its people.
The Saharawi has also spoken about the position as a non-permanent member that Spain will occupy within two months in the Security Council, assuring that she hopes that this fact "will help the Sahara." "Spain has the key, it can help a lot in the search for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Western Sahara," she stressed. Haidar believes that "Spain has to recognize its historical and legal error" in the territory, since "it is still the administering power, it has to recognize that it withdrew from the territory before completing the decolonization process."
Fears a new confrontation
The human rights defender has also expressed great concern about the constant radicalization of young Saharawis, stating that both activists and the Polisario Front are under pressure from part of this segment of the Saharawi population. "If the situation continues like this, young Saharawis are not going to continue with non-violent resistance," she warned. Haidar assures that part of these young people "no longer believe in peaceful resistance" and affirms that "oppression, poverty, drugs? are elements that can push young people to resort to violence." Therefore, she is "afraid that there will be a new confrontation between the two peoples."
The activist has referred to these groups of young people who call for arms and has exemplified it in the presence of some of them in the demonstration for the defense of the Saharawi people that took place this Sunday in Madrid. "There were voices of young people in military uniform shouting against the Polisario Front and calling for war. It has saddened me to hear young people shouting 'enough talk, we have to fight', 'we have to go back to arms'? That is something I do not want," she said.
Attendees at this concentration in Madrid have confirmed to La Voz de Lanzarote that these opinions were present on Sunday. "There is a dichotomy between the party and the complaint, which is accentuated with sectors that openly state that it is necessary to return to arms with others more in favor of dialogue," explains a young Spanish woman and supporter of the Saharawi cause who has also worked as a cooperator in the refugee camps of Tindouf.
Gratitude to the people of Lanzarote
Asked about the oil explorations that are also being carried out by Morocco on the shores of Western Sahara, Haidar has expressed her disagreement with something that she considers "goes against international law." In addition, she has strongly criticized that Morocco "loots the resources of the Sahara because natural resources must be under the sovereignty of the people." In the same vein, she has opposed the visit organized by the Chamber of Commerce of El Aaiún for several Canary Islands businessmen a few days ago. "Morocco has no right to carry out any economic activity in a territory that is not its own," she concluded.
Accompanied by a Saharawi delegation and representatives of the Island Council of Lanzarote, Haidar has given "thanks for their constant support in difficult times" to the media and the people of Lanzarote, to whom she has thanked "the affection they have shown me." The activist has said goodbye to the media assuring that her protest in 2009 "gave visibility to the issue of the Sahara and revealed the suffering of a forgotten people", so she assures that if she again feels "in a situation of indignation or the need to criticize", she can "return to do a hunger strike."
Aminetu Haidar will spend four days in the Canary Islands. After the various events that she will preside over this Tuesday in Lanzarote, the activist will go to Tenerife, then visit Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and conclude her tour in Fuerteventura.
