El Aaiun, Occupied Western Sahara – June 10, 2024
On the occasion of the “Day of the Martyrs,” Sahrawi activists organized peaceful demonstrations in the cities of El Aaiun and Dakhla within the occupied territories. The demonstrations aimed to honor those who died in the decades-long for the independence of Western Sahara conflict and to protest against Moroccan actions in the territories .
Carrying flags of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and chanting slogans for liberation, the activists distributed leaflets and created graffiti condemning the Moroccan repression. Remarkably, some participants were former detainees of notorious Moroccan secret prisons in Agedz and Qalat M’Gouna.
Despite constant surveillance and the risk of repercussions documented by the occupation, the activists managed to organize these demonstrations through meticulous coordination.
Martyr’s Day holds profound emotional and political weight for the Sahrawi people. It marks the anniversary of a French airstrike that killed the Polisario Front founder, El-Wali Mustapha Sayed, and other Sahrawi leaders in Mauritania.
Recent statements by the French ambassador to Morocco, confirming military support for Morocco against Polisario fighters in the 1970s, highlight the complex geopolitical situation the Sahrawi people face in their pursuit of self-determination and independence.