Moroccan Sahrawis Stories in Refugee Camps

  Bachir Edkhil


As a student during the Spanish occupation of the Sahara, Bachir became involved in the growing anti-colonization movement against Spain. Bachir joined a liberation movement which eventually became known as the Polisario, an acronym that Bachir himself coined. 


For many years, Bachir was the director of the Poliario’s Education program which sent Saharawi youth to Cuba, Algeria, Libya and, during the Cold War, to the Soviet Union and other Eastern block countries. 


However, Bachir eventually realized that the Polisario’s tactics were detrimental to human rights and families and he decided to leave the Polisario. Leaving, however, was not easy, for the process involved imprisonment, torture and death threats.


When he eventually escaped, he had to leave his two children and other families members behind in the camps. 


Since his return to Morocco, Bachir has founded an NGO called ALTER FORUM which is dedicated to environmental protection, education and integration of women into the work force. Bachir also participates annually in internationals human rights conferences, calling on an end to the 32 year long suffering of those still held in the Tindouf Camps. 


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