LOOK OUT, THERE ARE MINES!

The following text is written by Lwaly Dadi Ramdan. He has studied English with previous volunteer groups and is one of our friends in the camps.

The war stopped in Western Sahara in 1991, but there are still victims. Every year people die and are injured by the mines. The mine situation is alarming. There are thousands of mines waiting to explode in all of Western Sahara both in the Occupied and Liberated Territories. All the Saharawis living here are in great danger.

Many of the refugees in Algeria want to live as nomads in the Liberated Territories during the rainy season. The land is good for planting and people want to benefit from the nature. Many families plan to go there but there is one problem: the dangers of mines. All family members, women, children and old people will be in danger – especially the children.

There is an organisation working in the Liberated Territories called Land Mine Action. They work with cleaning the land of the mines and pointing out zones that are dangerous, zones that are less dangerous and zones that are safe. But there is another problem: Flooding. When the floods come, the mines change places. For many years, the Saharawis were used to walking in any place they wanted. Now, there is the wall and there are mines. So I have to beware in my land. Everywhere. Look out! There are mines under your feet!

I will tell you my cousin's story. He was with his father in the Liberated Areas as nomads looking after their sheep. Suddenly, he changed direction and minutes after he walked on a mine. He lost one of his feet and his father was hurt too. It was a hard time for the family. It was also an incredible time for me. I was studying in Algeria. I heard about him late because communication wasn't available like now. When I went back home I got out of the car and saw his injury. That moment really affected me deeply. I felt for him, for the others who lost their lives, for those who lost body parts and for the next victims. Who will it be?

I feel worried because my family is planning to live as nomads soon because of my grandparents. Their health is not good and they want to drink the milk and breath Sahara's air. At first it seems like a good thing to benefit from the nature, but on the other hand I'm afraid of the mines.

What crime did innocent people commit to be victims of mines? I hope it's time that the world will focus on this land and make more efforts to force Morocco to sign the UTAWA treaty which prevents the use of mines. I hope to see my land one day without mines and without weapons. Many wishes to the families who want to go and live as nomads. Safe travels!

Under The Surface

Not many people from the outside world have heard about the Saharawis, much fewer get to see the inside of the refugee camps. Most of the foreigners (read Spanish people) who visit the camps come in delegations and stay for one or maybe two weeks. The delegations we have seen pass through have been students, scientists, activists or medical staff. These groups of engaged and interested Europeans obviously want to see as much as possible on the little time they have, so they often travel from camp to camp and stay only a couple of days in each place. Being busy traveling around provides the visitors with a lot of information. It lets them meet many different people, they get to take a lot of photographs and hear many different stories.

However, there are a lot of things one can not see when passing through the camps like most people tend to do. You can not see that the eight year old boy you just photographed is in reality twelve. Nor can one see that almost every second woman suffers from anemia caused by malnutrition.

The Saharawis treat their guests in the most hospitable way and serve every piece of valuable food to the foreigners who stop by on short visits. But these rich meals are far from the normal, every day food composed by donations from organizations like the EU and the WFP. Most of the food does not hold a minimum standard of quality. The flour given by WFP is not good enough to make bread and the oil donated by the US is not exactly virgin olive oil. The donations to the camps have not been reconsidered the last 30 years, so the food they receive is aimed on people living in short term needs. Now generations are growing up on these fable gifts from the north.

The children we live with suffer from constant infections. Diarrhea and vomiting is something the families experience on a almost a weekly basis due to bacterias that hit their weak immune systems. You never forget the first time you see a diaper filled with blood. This is the harsh reality of the refugees. Behind their smiles and their more than welcoming gestures their bodies weaken day by day.

They say that a photo can say more than a thousand words. My experience from the last three months is that the contrary can be just as true.