A COMIC BYIN LESS THAN 3000 WORDS

THE GREEN MARCH

THE WALLS

THE REFERENDUM

THAT NEVER WAS

THE REFUGEE CAMPS

DARIJA

THE MINI-DICTIONARY

FAMILY. SEVERAL FAMILIES FORM A CASTE, AND THESE

CASTES FORM A TRIBE.

TEAPOT.

TRIBE. SOME WELL- KNOWN SAHRAWI

TRIBES ARE

PERSON IN CHARGE OF ENACTING MANDATES

DECIDED AT AN ASSEMBLY.

DIALECT. THIS IS WHAT THE SAHRAWIS CALL

THE MOROCCAN LANGUAGE.

LARGE BLUE TUNIC OF THE SAHRAWIS. OPEN,

IT OFFERS RELIEF FROM THE HEAT. PULLED AROUND TIGHT, IT PRO-TECTS AGAINST THE COLD.

THE MOST POPULOUS TRIBE OF WESTERN

SAHARA. THEY ARE CONSIDERED DESCENDANTS OF

A TEMPORARY CAMPSITE MADE UP OF SEVERAL JAIMAS.

Cheikh

THE

THETHE

THETHE -

HALUF PIG. NOT CONSUMED BY MUSLIMS.

ARAB DIALECT SPOKEN IN THE

SAHARA. THE MAJORITY OF THE WORDS COME FROM CLAS-SIC ARABIC, BUT THERE IS ALSO SPANISH AND FRENCH IN-FLUENCE.

EASTERN HOT WIND CARRYING GRAINS OF

SAND. IN ENGLISH, IT‘S CALLED SIROCCO.

AN ARCHAIC TERM IN

SPANISH FOR THE MALLEMIN CASTE: METAL, WOOD, AND HIDE ARTISANS.

LARGE TENTS MADE FROM

GOAT AND CAMEL SKINS, USED AS SHELTER BY NOMADIC FAMI-LIES.

A TREE NATIVE TO THE SAHARA. ACCORDING TO

THE , IT'S AT RISK OF EXTINCTION DUE TO REGULAR USE AS FIREWOOD BY THE 150,000 MOROCCAN SOLDIERS

STATIONED IN THE ZONE.

FLOODED RIVERBANK OR IRRIGATION DITCH.

RED.

,

THE PORTUGUESE ARRIVE SOUTH OF WESTERN

SAHARA, AND BEGIN TRADING IN CARAVANS FILLED WITH GOLD AND SLAVES FROM THE GULF OF GUINEA. THEY CALL THE ZONE RÍO DE ORO', OR 'RIVER OF GOLD.

A SPANISH ENSIGN, EMILIO BONELLI, SENT

BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CÁNOVAS DEL CASTILLO, FOUNDS VILLA CISNEROS (NOWADAYS KNOWN AS DAKHLA), AND PERSUADES THE INHABITANTS OF RIO DE ORO TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT PLACING THE TERRITORY IN SPANISH CUSTODY.

AT THE BERLIN CONFERENCE, ORGANIZED BY

BISMARCK, EUROPEAN POWERS DIVIDE UP AFRICA. SPAIN IS GIVEN RIGHTS TO WESTERN AFRICA (LATER KNOWN AS WESTERN SAHARA).

FRANCE AND SPAIN ARBITRARILY DRAW THE

BORDERS OF WESTERN SAHARA AT THE PARIS CONVENTION, FAILING TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT GEO-GRAPHICAL FACTORS OR THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE DESERT PEOPLE.

CHAPTER

THREE GARRISONS, LATER TO BECOME CITIES, WERE SET

UP ALONG THE COAST. THESE WERE LA GUERA, VILLA CISNEROS, AND VILLA BENS.

SPAIN, WHOSE PRESENCE IN THE AREA HAD BEEN

LARGELY SYMBOLIC, WAS OB-LIGATED BY A TREATY SIGNED WITH FRANCE, TO SPREAD INTO THE INTERIOR AND TO DEFEND THEIR COMMON BORDERS. EL-AAIÚN WAS FOUN-

MOROCCO GAINS INDEPEN-DENCE FROM FRANCE AND

SPAIN. THE SULTAN MOHAMMED V, RETURNED FROM EXILE IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR, WAS DECLARED KING.

MOROCCO ASSERTS ITS CLAIM ON MAURITANIAAT THE U.N. THE ARMED FORCES OF BEN HAMOU'S LIBERATION ARMY INVADE WESTERN SAHARA, SOUTHERN ALGERIA, AND MAURITANIA IN AN ATTEMPT TO EXPEL COLONIZERS. A JOINT SPANISH-FRENCH OFFEN-SIVE, 'OPERATION ECOUVILLON', QUASHES THE REVOLT.

CHAPTER 2

MAURITANIA GAINS ITS INDEPENDENCE FROM FRANCE

AND IS RECOGNISED BY MOROCCO.

AS A REWARD FOR MOHAMMED V'S COLLA-

BORATION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE LIBERATION ARMY, MOROCCO WAS GIVEN A REGION IN THE NORTH SAHARA: CAPE JUBY, WHICH WAS LATER RENAMED TARFAYA.

AFTER A LONG AND BLOODY WAR, FRANCE

RECOGNIZES ALGERIA'S INDEPENDENCE IN THE EVIAN ACCORDS.

THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT TURNS THE SAHARA INTO

THE 53RD SPANISH PROVINCE IN ORDER TO EVADE THE U.N. MAN-DATE FOR DECOLONIZATION. MO-HAMMED V DIES, AND HIS SON, HASSAN II, BECOMES KING.

CHAPTER 3

THE U.N. BEGINS TO PRESSURE SPAIN TO

DECOLONIZE THE SAHARA AND ARRANGE A REFERENDUM ON SELF-DETERMINATION.

IN SMARA, THE SAHARA LIBERATION MOVEMENT IS

FORMED BY MUHAMMAD BASSIRI. IT IS A MODERATE NON-VIOLENT MO-VEMENT, PROPOSING WITH TIME, AND THROUGH COMMON AGREEMENT, TO CONCEDE IN PHASES TO TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR OWN GOVERNANCE.

THE SPANISH LEGION OPENS FIRE ON AND

BREAKS UP A MASSIVE PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION IN ZAMLA, EL-AAIÚN, KILLING MORE THAN 12 PEOPLE. BASSIRI IS ARRESTED AND DISAPPEARS.

MOROCCAN MILITARY PLANES FIRE AT HASSAN II'S PLANE,

MAKING IT THE SECOND MILITARY COUP THAT THE KING SURVIVES. TWO PARALLEL SAHRAWI NATIONALIST MOVEMENTS EMERGE: ONE IN TARFAYA, AND THE OTHER IN THE SPANISH SAHARA.

CHAPTER 4

IN 1969, THE FIRST LOAD WAS MINED, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER, A CONVEYOR BELT OVER 90 KMS LONG WAS BUILT TO TRANSPORT THE PHOSPHATES AT THE SPEED OF 4 METRES/SECOND TOWARDS THE COAST.

PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS WERE DISCOVERED IN BU CRAA DURING THE TIME OF SPANISH OCCUPATION, AND ARE, TO DATE, AMONG THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD. IN 1961, THE INI (THE SPANISH NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRY) CREATES EMINSA (THE NATIONAL CORPORATION FOR MINING IN THE SAHARA), WHICH, IN 1968, WOULD BECOME 'FOSFATOS DE BUCRAA S.A.' OR 'FOS BUCRAA'.

IN 1986, THE SHARE OF THE SPANISH WAS REDUCED TO 12 /%, AND IN 2002, WAS REMOVED ALTO-GETHER.

IN THE MADRID ACCORDS OF 1975, IN ADDITION TO ACCEDING TERRITORY, SPAIN ALSO GAVE OWNERSHIP OF 65 /%OF THE CORPO- RATION TO MOROCCO. BETWEEN 1979 AND 1986, PHOSPHATE EXTRACTION WAS FREQUENTLY DISRUPTED BY FREQUENT ATTACKS BY THE POLISARIO FRONT.

THE TWO NATIONALIST MO-VEMENTS MERGE IN ZEURAT,

MAURITANIA, AND BECOME THE POLISARIO (POPULAR FRONT FOR THE LIBERATION OF SAGUIA EL-HAMRA AND RIO DE ORO), WITH THE AIM OF GAINING INDEPENDENCE FROM THE SPA-NISH OCCUPIERS BY MEANS OF ARMED CONFLICT.

AFTER A SUCCESSION OF FAILED COUPS D ETAT AND

SOCIAL DISTURBANCES, HASSAN II DIVERTS THE ATTENTION OF THE GENERAL POPULATION TO THE WES-TERN SAHARA, INVENTING A FICTIO-NAL LIBERATION MOVEMENT (THE FRONT FOR LIBERATION AND UNITY) TO COVER UP ASSASSINATIONS AND ATTACKS AGAINST SPANISH MILI-TARY OUTPOSTS.

SPAIN, PRESSURED BY THE U.N., AND WORN DOWN

BY ATTACKS BY THE MOROCCANS AND THE POLISARIO FRONT, ANNOUNCE A REFERENDUM ON THE FUTURE OF THE WESTERN SAHARA, TO BE HELD IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1975. TO THAT END, A CENSUS OF THE POPULATION WAS PERFORMED.

MOROCCAN INFILTRATORS TRIGGER A CHAIN OF TERRORIST

ATTACKS IN EL AAIÚN. IN OCTOBER, THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL RULES THAT THERE WERE NO SOVEREIGN TIES BET-WEEN MOROCCO AND THE SAHARA. IN NOVEMBER, HASSAN II ORGANISED THE GREEN MARCH. IN AGADIR, THE SPANISH MINISTER ANTONIO CARRO GUARANTEES TO HASSAN II THAT THE SAHARA WOULD BE HANDED OVER TO MOROCCO.

CHAPTER 5

BIR LEHLOU

TINDOUF

CONVEYER BELT FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF PHOSPHATES FROM BOU CRAA TO THE COAST.

MASSACRE OF CIVILIANS BY THE SPANISH LEGION IN 1970 (SEE P. 7)

TERRITORY GIVEN TO MOROCCO BY THE SPANISH IN 1958. (SEE P. 6)THE CANARY

ISLANDSCAPE JUBY

CAPE BOJADOR

DAKHLA

IN THE PARIS CONVENTION, THE PENINSULA OF RAS NOUADHIBOU WAS DIVIDED IN TWO TO GIVE FRANCE THE RICH BAHIA DEL GALGO BAY.

LA GOUIRA

MINE TRAIN

POLISARIO BORN IN 1973. (SEE P. 9)

THIS ARCH HERE WAS DRAWN IN 1900 IN THE PARIS CONVENTION, GIVING FRANCE CONTROL OF THE IMPORTANT FDERIK MINES, SUBSEQUENTLY MAKING IT A STRONG COLONIAL POWER IN MAURITANIA.

ZOUERAT

REFUGEE CAMPS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE SAHRAWI POPULATION LIVES TO THIS DAY. (SEE P. 18)

PROCLAMATI-ON OF SADR IN 1976. (SEE P. 13)

BOU CRAA

AUSERT

draa river

Saguia el-H

amra

THE INVASION WAS DECEPTIVELY PRESENTED TO THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC AS A PACIFIST INDIGENOUS MOVEMENT. HOWEVER, IT HAD BEEN DESIGNED BY NORTH AMERICAN AGENTS AND FINANCED BY KUWAIT WITH THE COOPERATION OF MAURI-TANIA AND FRANCE. ALL THESE POWERS HAD MUCH TO LOSE SHOULD ANOTHER SOCIALIST REGIME, SIMILAR TO ALGERIA,S, AS THE POLISARIO FRONT PROPOSED, BE FORMED.

IN NOVEMBER 1975, AFTER THE HAGUE RULED AGAINST HIS ANNEXATIONIST INTENTIONS, HASSAN II TAKES ADVANTAGE OF SPAIN S POLITICAL WEAKNESS AT THE TIME OF THE IMMINENT DEATH OF THE SPANISH DICTATOR, FRANCO. HE SENDS 350,000 CIVILIANS AND 25,000 SOLDIERS TO WESTERN SAHARA, KNOWN AS THE GREEN MARCH, IN A CHAL-LENGE TO SPANISH AUTHORITY.

THE SPANISH ARMY MINES THE BORDER ZONE AND IS DEPLOYED BEHIND IT. THE GREEN MARCH RE-MAINED, THREATENING, ACROSS HUNDREDS OF METRES FOR DAYS, STATIONED IN GIGANTIC CAMPS.

SCARED, PRESIDENT ARIAS NA-VARRO AND HIS MINISTERS GIVE IN TO ALL THE MOROCCAN DEMANDS, BETRAYING THE SAHRAWIS, THE U.N., AND THEIR OWN SPANISH ARMY. THEY SIGNED THE MADRID ACCORDS. THE GREEN MARCH RE-TREATS AND WESTERN SAHARA IS HANDED OVER TO MOROCCO AND MAURITANIA, WHO PROCEED TO OCCUPY IT, EMPLOYING OPPRES-SIVE MILITARY TACTICS.

THE TRIPARTITE MADRID ACCORDS ARE SIGNED, DIVIDING

SPANISH WESTERN SAHARA UP BETWEEN MOROCCO AND MAURITA-NIA. THE SPANISH COURTS APPROVE THE LAW OF DECOLONIZATION. FRANCO DIES. THE NEW MOROCCAN AUTHORITIES ARRIVE AT EL AAIÚN.

THE LAST COMPANY OF THE SPANISH LEGION LEAVES EL

AAIÚN. MANY SPANISH TROOPS OF SAHRAWI ORIGIN JOIN THE PO-LI-SARIO FRONT. THE MOROCCAN ARMY ENTERS THE TERRITORY FROM THE NORTH, AND THE MAURITA-NI-ANS FROM THE SOUTH. THE POLISA-RIO FRONT FACES THE INVADERS.

THE MAJORITY OF SAHRAWI CIVILIANS FLEE

THE CITIES TO ESCAPE THE ATRO-CITIES BEING COMMITTED THERE, ONLY TO BE BOMBARDED WITH NAPALM AND WHITE PHOSPHO-RUS IN THE DESERT. SURVIVORS TAKE REFUGE IN THE TINDOUF REFUGEE CAMPS OF ALGERIA.

THE LAST OF THE SPANISH SOLDIERS LEAVE THE

WESTERN SAHARA. THE NATIONAL SAHRAWI COUNCIL PROCLAIMS THE BIRTH OF THE SAHRAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC (SADR) IN BIR LEHLOU. THE POLISARIO FLAG IS USED AS ITS FLAG.

CHAPTER 6

MOROCCO COMMENCES CONSTRUCTION OF THE WALLS

AS A NEW STRATEGY AGAINST THE POLISARIO FRONT.

WEAKENED BY SUCCESSIVE COUPS D ETAT, MAURITA-

NIA ABANDONS THE WAR AGAINST THE POLISARIO AND RETURNS THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES TO THE SAHRAWIS. AT THAT MOMENT, MOROCCO INVADES.

THE U.N. GENERAL SECRE-TARY INITIATES A MISSION

TO PROPOSE TERMS OF RECONCILIA-TION THAT ARE ACCEPTED BY BOTH MOROCCO AND THE POLISARIO FRONT, RECOGNIZING THE SAHRAWI RIGHT TO SELFDETERMI-NATION IN THE WESTERN

SAHARA.

DURING A CEASEFIRE, THERE IS TALK OF A REFERENDUM.

THE SECURITY COUNCIL DEPLOYS MINURSO, THE U.N. MISSION FOR THE REFERENDUM IN WESTERN SAHARA. THE PLAN FOR PEACE ALSO BRINGS HOPE OF REPATRIATI-ON FOR REFUGEES IN EXCHANGE FOR PRISONERS. THIS WAS NEVER FULLY APPLIED.

CHAPTER 7

THIS SYSTEM BOTH PREVENTS RAIDS BY THE POLISARIO AND DETERS SAHRAWI REFUGEES FROM RETUR-NING TO THEIR LANDS.

BETWEEN 1981 AND 1987, THE MOROCCANS CHANGE THEIR STRA-TEGY AGAINST THE POLISARIO. EIGHT WALLS ARE GRADUALLY CONSTRUCTED IN THE DESERT, WITH 2,720 KMS WORTH OF LANDMINES SURROUNDING IT.

THE MOROCCANS STRENGTHEN THEIR PRESENCE IN THE TWO TERRITORIES RICH IN NATURAL RESOURCES SUCH AS PHOSPHATES, SEAFOOD, AND, FOLLOWING SOME PROSPEC-TING, PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS, TOO.

THE WALLS MADE OF SAND AND STONE, ARE 2-3 METRES HIGH, AND ARE SURROUNDED BY A DEEP TRENCH. EVERY 3-4 KILOMETRES, THERE IS A MILITARY COMPANY IN A BUNKER, AND EVERY 15 KM THERE IS A RADAR THAT ALLOWS THE USER TO ALERT ARTILLERY BATTERIES OF ANYONE APPROACHING WITHIN 80 KM.

TERRITORY CONTROLLED BY SADR

TERRITORY OCCUPIEDBY M

ORO

CCO

IN 1975, WITHOUT HOLDING THE REFERENDUM PROMISED IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR, SPAIN HANDS WESTERN SAHARA OVER TO MOROCCO AND MAURITANIA, IGNITING THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES AND THE POLI-SARIO FRONT.

IN 1991, MOROCCO AND THE POLISARIO FRONT SIGN A CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE U.N. THE U.N. MISSION FOR THE REFERENDUM IN WESTERN SAHARA (MINURSO) IS ESTABLISHED TO OR-GANISE A REFERENDUM AMONG THE SAHRAWI POPULATION, TO BE HELD FEBRUARY 1992, IN ORDER TO DECIDE BETWEEN MOROCCAN INTEGRATION AND INDEPENDENCE.

THE POLISARIO FRONT ACCUSES MOROCCO OF CONTINUOUSLY DELAYING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE REFERENDUM. THE DELAY IS CAUSED BY THE MOROCCAN GOVERN-MENTS DEMAND FOR THE NON-SAHRAWI POPULATION INJEC-TED IN THE AREA TO HAVE THE RIGHTS TO VOTE. MOROCCO DENIES THE ACCUSATIONS, AND IN TURN, ACCUSES ALGERIA AND THE POLISARIO OF AUG-MENTING THE SADR POPULATION BY COUNTING ALGERIAN SAHRAWIS.

IN 1992, IT IS POSTPONED DUE TO THE MOROCCAN CONDITION THAT AT LEAST 120,000 PEOPLE PARTICIPATE IN THE CENSUS. IN 1997, THE HOUSTON ACCORDS MOVE THE DATE TO 1998. IN 1998, KOFI ANNAN VISITS THE TERRITORIES AND THE POLISA-RIO ACCEPT THE TERMS THAT HE PROPOSES, BUT THE REFERENDUM IS POSTPONED UNTIL DECEMBER 1999. IN 1999, IT IS POSTPONED TO 2000. IN 2012, IT STILL HADN'T BEEN HELD.

THATNEVER WAS

IN LANZAROTE, AMINATOU HAIDAR, AN ACTIVIST

ILLEGALLY EXILED FROM ELAAIUN, OCCU-PIED WESTERN SAHARA, GOES ON A HUNGER STRIKE AFTER AUTHORITIES CONFISCATE HER PASSPORT.

AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AT HOLDING A REFERENDUM

AND UNFRUITFUL PROPOSALS FOR THE DIVISION OF THE TERRITORY, JAMES BAKER ABANDONS HIS POST AS THE U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR WESTERN SAHARAN CONFLICT, DISCOURAGED BY THE LACK OF PROGRESS IN THE NEGOTIATIONS.

SAHRAWI CITIZENS SET UP A CAMP 18 KMS FROM

EL AAIÚN AS A PEACEFUL PROTEST AGAINST THEIR CONDI-TIONS IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITO-RIES. THE MOROCCANS STORM THE CAMP AND TEAR IT DOWN.

THE CONFLICT REMAINS STAGNANT. MEANWHILE,

THE SAHRAWI POPULATION LIVES IN REFUGEE CAMPS ON MOROC-CAN CONTROLLED TERRITORY, WHERE THEY ENDURE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS SUCH AS DENIED ACCESS TO INFORMATION, ILLEGAL DETENTIONS, TORTURE AND DISAPPEARANCES.

CHAPTER 8

FOLLOWING THE MOROCCAN OCCU-PATION OF THE SAHARA, A LARGE PART OF THE SAHRAWI POPULATION HAS TO FLEE AND TAKE REFUGE IN THE CAMPS OF TINDOUF, ALGERIA.

THE CAMPS ARE SPLIT INTO FIVE NUCLEI OF POPULATION CALLED WILAYAS, FOUR OF THEM TAKE THEIR NAME FROM THE PRINCIPAL CITIES OF WESTERN SAHARA PRIOR TO 1976: EL AAIÚN, SMARA, AUSERT AND DAKHLA. THE FIFTH IS 27 FEBRUARY SCHOOL CAMP.

SOME OF THE INHABITANTS HAVE SPENT MORE THAN 30 YEARS THERE AND THE YOUNGEST ARE THIRD GENERATION REFUGEES THAT HAVE NEVER VISITED THEIR

HOMELAND.

THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATI-ON LIVES IN TENTS WITHOUT RUNNING WATER AND SURVIVES THANKS TO INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY, WHICH IS RUNNING LOW DUE TO DIMINISHING MEDIA INTEREST.

EL CONFLICTO DEL SAHARA EN MENOS DE 3000 PALABRAS. Textos y dibujos de Mauro Entrialgo, 2011. Editan: Coordinado-ra de ONGD del Principado de Asturias. C/ Velasquita Giraldez, 1. 33008 Oviedo. 985203748. info@codopa.org www.codopa.org y Conseyu de la Mocedá del Principáu D’Asturies. Plaza del Sol, 4-6. 33009 Oviedo. 985250065 y 985250668. Fax: 985273949. info@cmpa.es www.cmpa.es. El autor reconoce que este tebeo es una exposición esquemática con intenciones divulgativas de un conflicto de gran complejidad. Para la realización de esta obra se han utilizando como fuentes documentales abundantes imágenes, sitios de internet, podcasts, artículos de revistas y libros. Entre estos últimos, fundamentalmente, los siguientes: “La historia prohibida del Sáhara español” de Tomás Bárbulo, “La historia del Sáhara y su conflicto” de Alejandro García y “El corral de las gacelas” de Olegario Moreno. 1ª edición: diciembre 2011. Depósito legal: AS/04296-11. Este tebeo tiene una licencia Creative Commons de Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 3.0 España (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Lo cual quiere decir que se puede copiar, distribuir, ejecutar y comunicar públicamente la obra con fines no comerciales, pero debe reconocerse su autoría. No se puede alterar, transformar o generar un obra derivada a partir de este tebeo.

THERE ARE THREE RELEVANT TERMS DERIVED FROM THE ARABIC ROOT, SAHRA, FOR DESERT: SAHARAN, MEA-NING -OF, FROM OR PERTAINING TO THE SAHARAN DESERT-', AND SAHRAWI AS BOTH A NOUN AND AN ADJECTIVE, THE FORMER BEING '-A PERSON FROM WES-TERN SAHARA- AND THE LATTER -OF, FROM OR PERTAINING TO WESTERN SAHARA, THE SAHRAWI PEOPLE, OR THEIR LANGUAGE, HASSANIYA.-

WHILE 'SAHRAWI' IS THE MOST COMMON SPELLING, IT IS ALSO OFTEN WRITTEN 'SAHARAWI' OR 'SAHRAOUI'

SAHARAN CLIMATE

SAHRAWI CAMP

THE BLACK BAND ON TOP SYMBOLIZES SUFFERING

A SAHRAWI

THE SAHRAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

THE RED TRIANGLE INSERTED AMONG THE REST OF THE COLORS IS A REMINDER OF THE SAHRAWI BLOOD SPILLED IN THE ROAD OF SUFFE-RING THAT LEADS TO HOPE.

THE SICKLE MOON AND STAR SYMBOLIZE PEACE IN THE ARAB WORLD.

SOME SOURCES CLAIM THAT ONCE THE SAHRAWIS RECLAIM THEIR LANDS, THE GREEN AND BLACK OF THE FLAG WILL EXCHANGE POSITIONS, PLA-CING HOPE ON TOP, AND FINALLY, SUFFERING AT THE BOTTOM

THE GREEN BAND AT THE BOTTOM REPRE-SENTS HOPE.

THE CENTRAL WHITE STRIPE REPRE-SENTS THE DESIRE FOR PEACE.

-

- -

..

OF

Finnish Peace CommitteeHämeentie 48, 00500 Helsinkiwww.rauhanpuolustajat.org

fb / Länsi-Saharan Ystävät Suomessa

THE SAHARA CONFLICT IN LESS THAN 3,000 WORDS. Original title: El conflicto del Sahara en menos de 3000 palabras.Text and drawings by Mauro Entrialgo, 2011. Publisher: Suomen Rauhanpuolustajat – Finnish Peace Committee in co-operation with organisation Friends of Western Sahara, 2012Translated by Orientation Consulting, 2012ISBN 978-951-807-108-5 This comic was originally produced and edited in Spain by the NGDO Coordinator of Asturias (www.codopa.org) and the Youth Council of the Principality of Asturias (www.cmpa.es). The author acknowledges that this comic, made for informative purposes, is a simplified illustration of a conflict of great complexity.This comic is licensed under Creative Commons. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivati-ve 3.0 Spain (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). This means that you can copy, distribute, perform and transmit the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as the original makers aren credited. You may not alter, transform, or create works derived from this one.

AMIANTOU HAIDAR

OF THE STORY

THE KING OF MO-ROCCO FROM 1961 UNTIL HIS DEATH. HE ORGA-NIZED THE GREEN MARCH AND SPLIT WESTERN SAHARA WITH MAURITANIA IN 1975.

FOUNDED THE SAHARA LIBERA-TION MOVEMENT. PACIFIST, AND IN FAVOUR OF DEMOCRATIC ACTION. HE WAS DETAINED AND AS-SASSINATED BY SPANISH

GUERILLA LEADER, FOUNDER OF THE POLISARIO FRONT. FIRST PRESIDENT OF SADR. HE WAS KILLED IN COMBAT WITH MAURI-TANIAN FORCES.

THE FIRST GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE POLISARIO, AND ITS REPRESEN-TATIVE IN SPAIN; THE SADR MINIS-TER OF DEFENCE. CURRENTLY THE EMBASSADOR IN ALGERIA.

SAHARAWI HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST. WAS TORTURED AND REPEATEDLY JAILED BY THE MOROC-CAN REGIME.

KING OF MOROCCO FROM 1999. HUMAN RIGHT VIOLATIONS OF HIS SLIGHTLY PROGRESSIVE REGIME CONTI-NUE TO BE REPORTED.