More clashes reported in Western Sahara and in southern Morocco

Copyright 1996 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts
September 6, 1996, Friday

SOURCE: Source: National Radio of the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic in Arabic 2300 gmt 3 Sep 96
Text of report by Polisario radio on 3rd September

The occupied towns of our national territory have been the scene of an ongoing popular uprising in defiance of the royal machinery of repression and terror which is still putting pressure on the rebellious children of our people in Laayoune, Tan Tan and other occupied towns and in southern Morocco.

The latest reports talk about hundreds of Saharan youths staging protest demonstrations outside the headquarters of the provincial administration in Tan Tan and chanting their attachment to their political and social demands. These demands were made last month in the marches of anger and protest to Rabat [word indistinct]. The police and militias intervened to disperse the demonstrators and this led to violent clashes which resulted in many demonstrators suffering injuries of varying degrees of seriousness. One of these demonstrators was the citizen Mohamed Said who was arrested by the Moroccan troops, tortured and badly beaten up.

Our rebellious youth staged similar demonstrations in the town of (?Goulimine), where hundreds gathered outside the headquarters of the provincial administration. The police also intervened to disperse the demonstrators.

In the occupied town of Laayoune, over 80 Saharan youths demonstrated outside the headquarters of the provincial administration of occupied Laayoune and renewed to the [Moroccan] royal repressive authorities their attachment to their political and social demands expressed during the Rabat sit-in. The demonstrators also expressed their total rejection of the method used by the invading royal administration to address the issues which they are raising with vehemence. They also denounced the policy of deceit and contempt brought by the recent mission of torturer Driss Basri [the Moroccan interior minister] to the occupied town of Laayoune. This mission was aimed only at making proposals [words indistinct] to wipe out the Saharan identity. [Remainder of the item largely unmonitorable due to very poor reception].






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Last Updated: 14 October 1996