- Urges Global Action As Hunger Strike Deepens
A COALITION of Nigerian labour, intellectual and civil society organisations has called for the immediate release of Sahrawi human rights defender, Naâma Asfari, expressing concern over his deteriorating health amid an open-ended hunger strike in Moroccan detention.
The coalition, operating under the Nigerian Movement for the Liberation of Western Sahara (NMLWS), said Asfari’s condition had become critical and urged the African Union, the United Nations and the international community to intervene urgently to prevent further deterioration.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Owei Lakemfa, the group alleged that Asfari, Vice-President of the Committee for Liberties and Respect for Human Rights in Western Sahara (CORELSO), had been subjected to years of arbitrary detention and was protesting what it described as the continued denial of his fundamental rights.
The coalition said it was “deeply troubled” that a peaceful human rights advocate had resorted to a hunger strike to press for the implementation of recommendations issued by international human rights bodies, arguing that no rights defender should have to endanger his life simply to have his grievances addressed.
Asfari is one of the best-known Sahrawi activists associated with the long-running dispute over Western Sahara. He was arrested following the 2010 dismantling of the Gdeim Izik protest camp and was later sentenced by a Moroccan court.
International human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly raised concerns over allegations of torture, prison conditions and the fairness of proceedings involving several Sahrawi detainees, while Moroccan authorities have consistently rejected allegations of torture and maintain that judicial processes complied with the law.
The NMLWS accused the Moroccan authorities of continuing to hold Asfari under inhumane conditions despite reports by United Nations human rights mechanisms expressing concern over his treatment and health.
The group also condemned what it described as the continued detention of Sahrawi political prisoners, calling on Moroccan authorities to guarantee access to adequate food, independent medical care and family visits.
It further urged Morocco to address concerns raised by international human rights organisations regarding social justice and respect for human rights.
Among its demands, the coalition called for Asfari’s immediate and unconditional release, unrestricted access to independent medical treatment, respect for his rights as a political prisoner and human rights defender, humanitarian access for his family and international organisations, compliance with recommendations issued by relevant UN human rights mechanisms, and Morocco’s withdrawal from Western Sahara.
The coalition appealed to the African Union, the United Nations, governments, civil society organisations and human rights advocates worldwide to speak out in solidarity with Asfari and other Sahrawi political prisoners, arguing that silence in the face of alleged abuses would only embolden injustice.
“The struggle of Naâma Asfari is not a personal one; it is a test of our collective commitment to human rights, human dignity, and the universal principles of freedom and justice,” the statement said, urging supporters to act before “it is too late.”
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, remains one of Africa’s longest-running territorial disputes. Morocco controls most of the territory, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks independence for the Sahrawi people.
The United Nations regards Western Sahara as a Non-Self-Governing Territory and continues to support efforts to achieve a political solution acceptable to the parties, including the long-promised referendum on self-determination, which has yet to take place.
