The Western Sahara conflict is an ongoing catastrophe for the Saharawis people. Since 1975, the Moroccan regime has illegally ruled over these people and their homeland in northwest Africa. terre des hommes schweiz has been committed to the private, political and economic self-determination of the Saharawis for many years. The development organization has successfully campaigned for the young Sahrawi, Laila Fakhouri, to be awarded the Human Rights Prize of the City of Weimar today, 10 December.
On December 10, International Human Rights Day, Laila Fakhouri receives the Human Rights Award of the City of Weimar in person. The Basel-based development organization terre des hommes schweiz and Terre des Hommes Deutschland e.V. nominated the human rights activist, a Sahrawi from Western Sahara, for this award.
“Laila Fakhouri is a clever and courageous young woman,” says Sylvia Valentin, Western Sahara expert at terre des hommes schweiz, who accompanied the prizewinner to Weimar and gave the laudatory speech. “She is one of many voices who are unwaveringly and peacefully standing up for the Saharawis’ right to self-determination and drawing the world’s attention to the forgotten Western Sahara conflict,” says Sylvia Valentin.
Laila Fakhouri: “Standing up for the rights of my people”
Laila Fakhouri, born in 1994, belongs to the Saharawis minority in Morocco. She has also experienced discrimination, arbitrariness and violence at the hands of the occupying power since her childhood. She studied English and works as a trial observer, translator and mediator in an international context. She risks her life in her peaceful fight for self-determination, human dignity, well-being and security for the Saharawis.
“I feel morally obliged to stand up for my people in public,” says Laila Fakhouri: “I want to make sure that our voices are heard by as many people in the world as possible.” As a human rights activist, woman and Sahrawi, she faces multiple threats.
Western Saharawis, the “last colony in Africa”
“The human rights of the Saharawis have been trampled on for decades and the Moroccan regime is violating international law with its occupation of Western Sahara,” emphasizes Sylvia Valentin of terre des hommes schweiz.
The illegal occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco following the withdrawal of the former colonial power Spain in 1975 still exists today – even though the Saharawis were assured in the 1991 ceasefire agreement that they would be able to vote on the future of their homeland in a referendum. “Western Sahara is the last colony in Africa,” criticizes Sylvia Valentin. “The international legal situation is clear, but the political will to implement it is lacking.”
terre des hommes schweiz and the Saharawis
terre des hommes schweiz has been committed to helping young people and their families in the Smara refugee camp in the western Algerian desert for many years. Around 174,000 Saharawis live there in five camps, completely dependent on international aid organizations. Together with the Sahrawi youth association UJSARIO, the Swiss development organization supports young people in learning skills such as cooking, sewing, IT and foreign languages. In the youth centers run by UJSARIO in the camp, games and sports events are offered and there are information events on topics such as sexual health or the Western Sahara conflict. “We support young people in Western Sahara in their right to self-determination,” summarizes Sylvia Valentin.
In addition to project and information work for young people and their families, terre des hommes schweiz is committed to the political and economic self-determination of the Saharawis. The non-profit organization therefore criticizes the activities of foreign, including Swiss, companies in the occupied Western Sahara and demands that such economic activities only take place locally with the consent of the official representation of the Saharawis.
terre des hommes schweiz is the Swiss contact point of the international network WSRW (Western Sahara Resource Watch).
