The Forgotten People

There is a group people that many have never heard of, their plight remains unseen but their suffering continues. No its not the Palestinians this time nor the Chechens, neither is it the people of Darfur.

The Sahrawis people of the Western Sahara have been demanding their independence from Morocco for the past seventy years. These people have been stuck between a rock and a hard place. A number of neigbouring countries have laid claims to their lands. Morocco (who insists that it has legitimate territorial claims)  has emerged as the dominant power in the region within the last twenty years.

The Polisario Front arose during the sixties and began fighting for the right of the Sahrawis people to have an independent homeland. Morocco to combat this threat constructed what is known as the 'Moroccan Wall'. This wall is roughly 2,700km long and is constructed mainly out of  sand. Its function is not just to keep Polisario militants out but to keep the Sahrawis people in.

In 2005 the Moroccan government increased its explusion of illegal immigrants living within its region to behind the wall. These immigrants were of mixed origin. Sources can reveal that many of them were from African countires such as Nigeria and Ghana. International reaction to this event was small, many countries simply turned a blind eye.

Recently the IFJ (International Federation Of Journalists) has called for a lifting of media restrictions in the Western Sahara region.

Furthermore  demonstrators have taken to the streets in Spain in protest at the treatment of the Sahrawis people by the Moroccan government. Protesters burnt Morrocan flags and condemned the Spainish government for not taking action against recent human rights abuses in the region.