In the backyard

In the backyard

I wonder why in a country of thirty million one single guy rules as if he will live for ever?

In this twenty one century of ours, in a country like Morocco even to mention the word “Moroccan Republic” in public provokes a familiar gesture of fear and terror, eyes move, cautiously, over shoulders. It is the unspoken taboo, a subject heavy enough to destroy ones life, lead to jail, disappearance and even death.

It is just another imposed sacred alien, who “may be” for heaven's sake, with his secret police and his torture black-jails “represents democratically” his people! Oh yeah, it it’s the first Sherifian who ordained that it would be by his sons, that power would be kept in the Filali offshoots and then no one in Morocco expected anything else.

Mohamed 6 controls military, political and legislative powers; he can dissolve governments and parliament; he is commander in chief of the Royal Armed Forces.

As the whole nation is now born in this environment, the only political groupings that exist in this hidden labyrinth and maze which are prepared to risk the vehemence of the secret police and the king torturers and executioners are of course the free Bedouins of the Sahara. I mean us the Saharawis.

Needless to say, it would have to be a powerful king, someone who did not allow dissent to rock the regime, someone with a powerful security service, a family that might provide a successor and French power to protect. Someone, in fact, just like Mohamed 6.

This same regime has aggressively unleashed his fury against the Saharawis in a bloody war which claimed thousands of lives, caused the devastation of several villages, wasted a generation’s worth of national income, witnessed the use of napalm and white phosphorous on civilian targets, rained hundreds of cluster bombs on random civilian areas and has of course fanned the flames of hatred in a region that have always been theater of devastating wars.

But now, the EU which openly advocates for democracy and human Rights respect and sanctions dictatorships and authoritarian regimes plays carefully the game. But what is in the backyard?


The European countries have been no better in dealing with the Moroccan regime. They have sporadically insisted on continuing their so called “human rights concerns” with the regime at a time when hundreds of Sahawi political prisoners remain in prison and are tortured and executed systematically.

On the other hand the EU signed the Association Agreement with Morocco in Brussels, on 26 February 1996, and following its ratification by the Parliaments of the 15 EU Member States, the European Parliament and the Moroccan Parliament, entered into force on 1 March, 2000. It replaces the 1976 Co-operation Agreement.
From Rabat to Brussels to Luxembourg money was generously poured into Morocco with different names and routs such as the Association Council (Ministerial level), the Association Committee (senior officials), the Working group on migration and social affairs (technical level), the Economic dialogue (technical level), The Custom co-operation committee (technical level), Sub-committee Transport, Energy and Environment etc...
Financial co-operation can be broken down into three phases, namely the financial protocols (1976-95), Meda I from 1995-99 and Meda II since 2000.A total amount of 630 million EUR was committed in 1996-99 under Meda, complemented by 500 million EUR in loans from the European Investment Bank. Morocco has been the leading recipient among the Mediterranean partners in terms of total funds received from the MEDA programme. In addition, the European Investment Bank has granted loans for a total of 363 million EUR since 2000. En 2001, the EIB financed projects in Morocco reached 280 Millions Euros. The EU accounts for two thirds of Morocco's foreign trade.


The EU had granted Morocco 426 million euros part of the MEDA backing program. The famous 426-million EUR programme is pretended to focus on certain priority areas among them Migration (115 million EUR to improve the control of illegal immigration. The regime puts the money to fortify its wall of shame in the occupied Western Sahara. 61 million euros of the amount are devoted to the levelling up of Morocco's firms. The “EU” officials hope to steer $610 million worth of investment projects toward Morocco to dissuade the country from growing marijuana, even though Drug experts estimate that Morocco cultivates 150,000 acres of marijuana annually, the bulk of which is exported to Europe or better say the EU.
Under MEDA I Morocco received a total amount of €630 Million. Besides this amount, the European Investment Bank has been granting loans from its own resources, accounting for €500 Million. Morocco takes part in five out of the six Euromed Audiovisual projects financed under MEDA, benefiting from a total of €14 Million from horizontal budget lines. And then, the EU recalls every time that the respect of human rights and democratic principles are an important element of political cooperation between the partners, still more than half of Morocco’s trade is tightened with European Union member states. Morocco’s main exports to the EU are foods (fishery products, fruit, and early produce), flowers and finished consumer products, accounting for nearly €6.000 Million. EU Member states have a trade surplus with Morocco of around €1.700 Million. Their exports to Morocco account for €7.700 Million, mainly on fabrics, machinery and equipment, chemicals, plastics and wheat.
The Agreements foresee the possibility to be suspended in the event of major human rights violations, let recall that according to Amnesty International and other credible human rights monitoring groups, the human rights situation in Western Sahara remains among the worst in the world. Any demonstration of support for independence is brutally suppressed. But………see in the backyard.

Most EU countries outside of France have expressed concerns over Morocco's ongoing occupation to the point of limiting certain forms of foreign investment. However, The European Commission has launched recently a new negotiations process with the Kingdom of Morocco in the Fisheries sector which will be discussed and signed on the 14th of July 2005. Morocco’s aim to illegally maintain its occupation in Western Sahara is to include the Western Sahara waters within its “fishing areas under Moroccan control” in order to involve European interests in its military illegal occupation and the permanent violation of International Law. Following the International paramount treaty in this matter, the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, of which Morocco is Part), and the January 2002 Legal opinion of the United Nations Under-secretary for Legal Issues, on the status of Western Sahara natural resources, Morocco could not extend or claim since February 1976 any jurisdiction over the entire waters of the Western Sahara.

The EU, by importing Western Sahara fish legitimizes the occupation and help abuse its resources. Since 1983, the annual catch has exceeded 430,000 tons. In 1986 and 1991 landings were the largest ever; both were more than 594,000 tons. The EU helped the repressive regime to make these record catches and increase the illegal Moroccan fishing industry in Western Sahara which now accounts for approximately 45% of agricultural exports. In 1990, exports of fish and fish products were equivalent to 8% of total exports. Over 100,000 Moroccans are employed in the fishing industry. The industry's importance is underscored in both the employment sector and by the over $600 million of foreign exchange that is reaped from the industry each year. The coastal fleet consists of approximately 2,609 vessels, of which 378 are trawlers equipped with mechanisms that assist with catching deep dwelling fish such as octopus and squid.
When we knocked at the EU doors, we were assured the right to self-determination. Unfortunately, just shortly later on, none of the EU member vote for the inalienable right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. What was said at the door was rapidly erased at the backyard.
It does not make difference with the US either. Morocco, even though a former French colony is a staunch US ally, is the second Arab country after Jordan to sign a FTA with Washington. The US aims to provide approximately $40 million more in assistance from 2004. Military assistance will reach $20 million from 2004.

Even in exile, the Saharawis have been successfully able to run democratically their new state. Having such a progressive and democratic model in the Arab-Islamic world may constitute "the threat of a good example" as described by Noam Chomsky, which may be another reason the United States opposes an independent Western Sahara. The Moroccan annexation of Western Sahara had the benediction of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and obviously was facilitated by Spain with the signing of Madrid Agreement that allowed Morocco and Mauritania to take possession of the territory.
Despite early several UN resolutions calling for a referendum on self-determination and a ruling by the International Court of Justice denying Morocco sovereignty over the territory, the U.S. helped Morocco built a defensive wall lined with millions of landmines stretching for over two thousands kilometers between the occupied lands and the liberated zones of Western Sahara under Polisario Front control. Washington just signed a bilateral free trade agreement with Rabat that specifically “pretend” excluding the Western Sahara and its resources as we see shareholders at the Oklahoma-based energy company Kerr-McGee on the ground. Kerr-McGee is the sole international remaining oil company conducting offshore oil surveys in the disputed territory. Kerr-McGee thus far refuses to abandon its activities, despite an opinion issued by the UN Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs in 2002 that while the status of the Western Sahara remains unresolved, further exploration of oil and mineral resources are "in violation of international law."
Why is it so late for everyone to understand that the Saharawis are not going to give up? This has been going on since 1884. Long time ago, but just the enemies of the free Western Sahara should know, so long as there is one Saharawi alive with blood pumping through his or her heart, even the thought of taking one grain of Saguya El Hamra or the Rio de Oro soil, will strongly be opposed and defeated.

08/07/2005.

Nafaa Mohamed Salem
Polisario Front Representation
Stockholm