WELCOME
We are the Western Sahara Campaign UK, campaigning to further support for the self determination of the Saharawi. We are always looking for volunteers and ideas no matter what they are. Please reach out to us on our contact page.
© Tfarah Abd Mulana
The All Party Parliamentary Group needs your support
As reported before we held a successful meeting in the House of Commons but we still need more members for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Western Sahara. If you have not done so before please use this model letter to write to your MP and ask them to contact Ben Lake MP to say they are interested in joining the APPG.
Voices of the Saharawi people heard in the UK Parliament
On Monday, 20 October a packed room in the UK parliament heard the powerful voice of solidarity with the Saharawi people. The meeting had been called as a platform for Mahfud Bechir from Western Sahara is not for sale to talk about the importance of the recent judgement of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and human rights abuse in the occupied territories.
Friday 4th October saw a crucial court victory for the Saharawi people as the ECJ issued a landmark ruling that occupied Western Sahara cannot be part of EU-Morocco agreements. He explained what action should now be take action to stop the plunder of Western Sahara and to address human rights abuse.
Sidi Breika, the official UK representative for the POLISARIO Front, also updated the meeting about the need for action by the UN to implement their plan for a referendum of self-determination and urged people to write to their MPs.
People were urged to write to their MPs and ask them to join the All Party Parliamentary Group on Western Sahara. Jeremy Corbyn MP, who kindly hosted the meeting, stressed the importance of more MPs taking up the issue in parliament. A model letter is available here to send to your MP.
The meeting was organised by the Western Sahara Action Forum – a collaboration between five UK based Saharawi solidarity organisations. Sandblast, the Western Sahara Campaign, Adala, Olive Branch Arts and Western Sahara Support Group. It was especially pleasing to see many of the growing Saharawi community in attendance as well as representatives from the Algerian Embassy.
Please see Sandblasts report of the event here.
Victory in the European Court of Justice
In a great victory of the Saharawi people the European Court of Justice has ruled that:
“The 2019 EU-Morocco trade agreements regarding fisheries and agricultural products, to which the people of Western Sahara did not consent, were concluded in breach of the principles of self-determination.”
Please read more here.
The Palestinian and Israeli Conflict
During our recent conference in London. We collectively decided and designed a statement on the recent increased conflict in Palestine and Israel. We condemn both the atrocities committed by Hamas against the Israeli people, and the collective punishment and war crimes that are being inflicted upon the Palestinian people by Benjamin Netanyahu. Both are unjustifiable and their situation is rooted in a colonial past and a system of oppression inflicted upon the Palestinian people.
Please read our statement here.
Western Sahara Campaign UK necesita tu apoyo
The campaign needs support and help. We run solely on volunteers. If you think you can help in any way please get in contact. No matter your experience or knowledge your help will go a long way and will be greatly appreciated.
Please contact us at coordinator@wsahara.org.uk
Una breve historia del Sáhara Occidental desde 1975
En 1975 Marruecos ocupó el Sáhara Occidental. Una ocupación que fue juzgada ilegal por la Corte Internacional de Justicia y el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU. Desde entonces, a los saharauis, el pueblo indígena del territorio, se les ha negado su derecho básico a la autodeterminación y han visto cómo otras antiguas colonias lograban su independencia. Marruecos ha dividido el país con un muro de 1500 km protegido por minas terrestres y fuertemente armado con tropas. Por un lado está la zona ocupada, aproximadamente el 75% del territorio. En el que Marruecos lleva a cabo un robo de fosfatos, pesquerías y cultivos para ser vendidos ilegalmente como de origen marroquí en el mercado comercial mundial. Es ilegal exhibir la bandera del Sáhara Occidental en la zona ocupada, y hay muchas desapariciones de quienes tienen el coraje de hablar. El 25% restante del Sáhara Occidental, está administrado por los representantes electos del pueblo saharaui, el Frente Polisario, y ha sido proclamado como República Árabe Saharaui Democrática (RASD). Sin embargo, la mayoría de los saharauis viven en campos de refugiados cerca de Tindouf en Argelia, quienes a través de la solidaridad han proporcionado una gran área a los saharauis, para darles la capacidad de mantener un estado independiente incluso en el exilio.
Donar
La Campaña depende únicamente de las donaciones de simpatizantes de todos los ámbitos de la vida, sin importar cuán pequeña sea la donación, ayudará en nuestra lucha para que la comunidad internacional cumpla su promesa y compromiso de celebrar un referéndum para que la gente de Occidente Sahara puede decidir su propio futuro.