On Thursday, May 18, 2023, a disturbing incident took place in the Bir Gandouz (Amheriz) area, located south of the occupied city of Dakhla. Fatima Haidara, the wife of human rights activist and member of the Freedomsun Organization for the Protection of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders, Othman Tnakha, was subjected to a brutal assault by an official in the occupation administration known as ” Qaid Imad.” The assault occurred following a peaceful sit-in organized by Sahrawi women to demand their legitimate rights.
Fatima Haidara’s family has reported that she has been denied necessary medical care and has not been provided with a medical certificate documenting her injuries. This incident is part of the wider context of systematic human rights violations committed by the Moroccan occupation forces. Sahrawi women, in particular, have become direct targets of these violations. The monitoring and documentation efforts of the Freedomsun Organization reveal that the occupation forces deliberately and unnecessarily target civilians, disregarding the principles of proportionality and non-discrimination in the use of force. The scale of violations is alarming, including the expulsion of international observers and researchers such as lawyer Elise Toll and Spanish academic researcher Roberto Cantone. Sahrawi women bear the brunt of these violations, experiencing targeted attacks and suffering various injuries.
It is crucial to highlight the deteriorating humanitarian conditions and the escalating rates of unemployment and poverty in the occupied cities of Western Sahara. These conditions exacerbate the already dire situation faced by the Sahrawi population.
The Freedomsun Organization for the Protection of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders highlights the international community’s failure to fulfill its legal obligations regarding the violations committed by the Moroccan occupation forces against Sahrawi women. There is a pressing need for the international community to protect and intervene to halt these violations and take action to prosecute and hold accountable those suspected of committing human rights abuses.
The organization strongly condemns the grave and systematic violations perpetrated by the Moroccan occupation forces against Sahrawi civilians, particularly women. It is crucial that immediate measures are taken to protect civilians in occupied Western Sahara and to address the crime of collective punishment inflicted upon the Sahrawi people. Despite the region’s abundant natural resources, the deprivation of political, economic, and social rights remains one of the most severe forms of punishment endured by Sahrawis.
The Freedomsun Organization calls for the facilitation of visits by international human rights organizations and bodies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to Western Sahara. Numerous UN Security Council resolutions have emphasized the importance of such visits to gain a firsthand understanding of the human rights situation in Western Sahara. It is essential to investigate the crimes committed by the Moroccan occupation forces, witness the atrocities on the ground, interview victims and eyewitnesses, and shed light on the extent of the crimes inflicted upon Sahrawi women.
The executive office of Freedomsun Defenders Organization for the Protection of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders, 18 May 2023.