Sahrawi Broadcaster Describes Western Sahara Freedom Struggle

By Greg Noakes and Janet McMahon

The Western Sahara, an arid, sparsely populated northwest African territory roughly the size of Great Britain, is the setting for one of the last and longest struggles for self-determination in the world. Zahra Ramdane, a Sahrawi woman very much involved in that campaign, was born in the Western Saharan capital of El-Ayoun, has lived in refugee camps in Algeria since 1982, and has not seen her family in 17 years. A radio broadcaster for the Sahrawi Ministry of Information, she met with the Washington Report on a recent speaking tour of the U.S.

The Western Sahara had been occupied by Spain from the late 19th century until early 1976, when the Franco government withdrew from the territory because of growing nationalism among the Sahrawi inhabitants and escalating costs of maintaining the Spanish presence there. Sahrawi aspirations for an independent state were thwarted, however, when neighboring Morocco and Mauritania claimed the right to divide the territory between them.

The Polisario Front, founded by Sahrawi nationalists in 1973, resisted the territory's division both in the diplomatic arena and on the battlefield, and Mauritania eventually relinquished its claim.

Morocco, however, did not, despite the fact that the International Court of Justice dismissed Morocco's historical claim to the area in October 1975. Instead, King Hassan of Morocco has staked his regime's prestige on Morocco's assimilation of the Western Sahara. He personally promoted the "Green March" in November 1975, when nearly 200,000 Moroccan demonstrators crossed into the territory to establish Morocco's claim. Its success helped stabilize the rule of the king, who had narrowly escaped assassination attempts in 1971 and 1972.

Of the thousands of Sahrawis who fled following the Moroccan occupation, most have settled in a cluster of refugee camps across the border near Tindouf, Algeria. The Polisario Front has carried out military operations against the Moroccan army from this base, and laid the foundation there for a future Sahrawi state.

In fact, the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) was proclaimed on Feb. 27, 1976, one day after Spain's formal withdrawal. Although the SADR maintains effective control over most of the Western Saharan land mass, ''le Sahara utile'' ("the useful Sahara"), containing the territory's major cities and most of its natural resources, remains firmly in Moroccan hands, protected from Polisario attacks by a network of electronic defenses and a huge sand embankment called "the berm."

A Military Stalemate

Locked in a military stalemate for nearly 20 years, it is clear that the Polisario cannot drive the Moroccans out. Nor, so long as Algiers protects the Polisario in its Algerian enclave, can the Royal Armed Forces extend Moroccan control beyond the confines of the berm.

Hopes for a peaceful settlement of the conflict therefore lie with a U.N.-sponsored referendum allowing Sahrawis to vote either for integration into Morocco or for independence. Despite the presence of a U.N. contingent, known as MINURSO, to maintain a cease-fire in the territory and to conduct the referendum, the vote has been delayed repeatedly by disagreements over voter eligibility.

Morocco and the Polisario each accepted the 1974 Spanish census as the basis for a list of eligible voters, but Morocco has since demanded the inclusion of 104,000 additional voters. These, Morocco claims, are descendants of Sahrawis who emigrated to Morocco before 1974. The Polisario rejects these names, arguing that people not recorded during the century of Spanish occupation are unlikely to be true Sahrawis. The U.N. currently is attempting to reach a compromise on voter registration, though with little progress to date.

Zahra Ramdane is emphatic in her conviction that "the U.N. peace plan is the only way to solve this question." She maintains it ''has not been implemented due to the block of the Moroccan government." Because of the long history of U.N. involvement in the Western Sahara, dating back to 1966 when the U.N. first called for a referendum and the territory was still under Spanish rule, "we, the Sahrawi people, have confidence in the United Nations," Ramdane says. This confidence reached its apogee with the U.N. backed liberation of Kuwait last year, she explains.

The referendum may be in jeopardy, however, because of the eligibility dispute. Morocco recently included the Western Sahara in nationwide Moroccan balloting, which suggests Morocco seeks a de facto annexation of the territory in the absence of a referendum.

U.N. Credibility in Jeopardy

Ramdane believes the present situation is "very dangerous" if the referendum collapses. She says, "The credibility of the U.N. and the international community is jeopardized."

Although Ramdane admits that after 17 years of conflict there are hard feelings on both sides, she insists there will be peaceful relations with Morocco once the Sahrawis achieve their goal of self-determination. "We are not against Morocco or the people of Morocco," she says. "Morocco needs us and we need Morocco. But each one has to respect the other, especially the other's sovereignty."

The long conflict has taken its toll on both Sahrawis and Moroccans, Ramdane believes. A relatively poor country, Morocco has diverted substantial resources from projects at home to the Saharan Anschluss. "I think the Moroccan people want to see the war finished, and the easiest way to do this is independence. But they can't speak out because of fear of the government," Ramdane maintains.

Whatever happens, the Sahrawi people remain determined, Ramdane says. "We are very proud of this struggle, which has shown the world that the Sahrawi people are united, despite a handful of defections." Polisario members who have gone over to Morocco are low-level bureaucrats, Ramdane insists. "We are not going to stop," she vows. "We are a peace-loving people, but that doesn't mean we can give in. Never."

Informed Public Opinion Crudal

Ramdane believes that once people understand the Sahrawis' struggle, the justice of their cause will be self-evident. The key is informing public opinion.

"Sometimes I feel very sad because this issue is not known in the United States," she explains. "The main problem is ignorance, and I blame the media."

Still, she finds many American audiences responsive. "A lot of people are very interested," she says. Currently on her third visit to the U.S., Ramdane has given presentations sponsored by the Western Sahara Awareness Project in Durham, NC; Washington, DC; Philadelphia, New York and Boston. She also has gained the attention of several members of Congress, including Senators Nancy Kassebaum and Paul Simon.

Her success comes in part, perhaps, because of the inspiring story she relates of the Sahrawi camps near Tindouf. The independence and pride of the Sahrawis shatter the stereotype of refugees as helpless and downtrodden. The Sahrawis have insisted from the first on maintaining and administering the camps themselves, and while they receive relief assistance from non-governmental organizations and the Red Cross, there is an emphasis on self-reliance. In addition to agricultural products grown by the camp residents, traditional handicrafts are manufactured and sold to raise money for needed supplies.

Life in exile, however, has disrupted Sahrawi society, Ramdane notes. Families have been separated by the occupation, and now a whole new generation of Sahrawis has grown up in exile.

Nevertheless, ties to the homeland remain strong. The four main camps near Tindouf are named for the largest Western Saharan cities of El-Ayoun, Smara, Dakhla and Bou Craa. Sahrawi tradition and culture are passed on to the youth through education.

"We teach them our own history, geography customs and identity," Ramdane explains. "Education is very important, especially for the future."

Since many Sahrawi men are serving with the armed forces, the difficult balance between adaptation to change and the preservation of traditional identity has been maintained largely by Sahrawi women. Most of the 150,000 camp residents are women and children. Women organize and run the camps, work as doctors and educators, and account for most of the economic output of the camps. Ramdane hopes that after independence the role of women will be consolidated, rather than eroded as has happened in other cases.

Talking with Zahra Ramdane, one is struck by the similarity between the Sahrawi and Palestinian experiences. Both peoples are fighting for their right to self-determination, are convinced of the justice of their cause, and refuse to renounce their national aspirations. Both the Sahrawis and the Palestinians are outgunned by their occupiers, whether on the ground or in the media, but have no intention of giving in. Both have managed to adapt to difficult conditions in the diaspora, yet maintain their traditional culture and, most importantly, their sense of identity. The most striking similarity, though, is their quiet, rock-solid determination—a quality Zahra Ramdane possesses in abundance.

Greg Noakes is the news editor and Janet McMahon the managing editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.