By Daniel M. Austin
Impunity Watch Reporter,  Africa

 RABAT, Morocco – Violence erupted this past Monday, November 8th when Moroccan security forces raided an opposition group’s protest camp in Western Sahara.  The camp called Gadaym Izik was home to more than 12,000 Polisario Front protesters before the attack. The Polisario Front consists of Saharawis, a nomadic native people that have resisted the Moroccan government for several decades.

There are conflicting reports on the number of people injured and killed in the attack. According to the Polisario Front, 19 people were killed in the fighting, 723 were wounded, and 159 people are still unaccounted for. Alternatively, the Moroccan government claims eight members of its security force were killed but not a single civilian was harmed in the fighting.

The Gadaym Izik camp was established about a month ago to protest both a lack of jobs and discrimination of the Saharawis at the hands of the Moroccan government. The Polisario Front established this protest camp on the outskirts of Laayoune, the capital city in Western Sahara. In response, Moroccan security officials swept in and forcefully shut down the camp. The security forces are accused of using live ammunition, tear gas, and water cannons.

This most recent clash comes at a time when the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front are meeting in New York City to negotiate a peace deal. The third round of United Nations (U.N.) backed talks continued despite the violence. After the talks concluded on Tuesday, U.N. special envoy Christopher Ross explained the two sides had rejected each other’s proposal on how the negotiations process should continue. However, both sides did agree to continue peace plan discussions in December or early next year.

The Moroccan government has outlined a proposal that would keep the territory under its control but grant the region autonomy, thus allowing  the Polisario Front to control administration of  the local government. On the other hand, the Polisario Front is seeking full independence. Specifically, the Polisario Front has offered a proposal for a popular referendum to take place that will determine if Western Sahara should become an independent state or remain under the government’s control. The Polisario Front has been seeking independence from the Moroccan government since the 1970s.

 For more information, please see:

BBC Africa – Morocco ‘raided Western Sahara camp to sabotage talks’—11 November  2010 

Canadian Press – Calm returning to Western Sahara after 2 days of unrest – 11 November 2010

CNN International — Deadly clashes reported in disputed Western Sahara – 10 November 2010  

UPI – Western-Sahara-erupts-into-violence – 10 November 2010