Aid as a political game

If a family here was to live on their rations of aid, they would eat meat two times a year, and by no means have enough food. The reason why people here have the food that they need, is not thanks to the aid that they receive, but rather due to the family members that they have that work abroad, like in Spain. Those who do not have family abroad, are still included, due to the solidarity and collective sharing of the people. In this way, the real aid comes from their own families. Further, another type of support that really makes a difference, is the opportunities that countries like Algeria, Cuba and Libya give young Saharawis to study in secondary school and in university for free.

What is the purpose of aid when it is unable to cover the needs of the refugees here? The leader of the Saharawi journalist union UPES, Malainin Lakhal, told us that in his opinion, the main reason to uphold the aid flows is for the Saharawi state to maintain good relations with as many foreign countries as possible. The Western Sahara conflict is a forgotten conflict in many ways, and so the idea is that the countries that give aid, will also give more attention to the conflict. Even though the media coverage of Aminatou Haidar’s hunger strike was good in countries like Spain, the urgency that is needed to resolve the conflict is not present. After 35 years of waiting in the hot desert, insufficient amounts of aid does not suffice. If countries like Norway were truely interested in ending this conflict, they would contribute with political support, recognizing the independent Saharawi state, and speaking out against the grave human rights abuses committed against Saharawis in the territories that Morocco occupies. A few potatoes and some wheat will not enable the Saharawi refugees to return to their rightful homeland.