Western Sahara: The Last Colony by Andrew McConnell (50 images)
Western Sahara is Africa's last open file at the United Nations Decolonisation Committee. Morroco invaded the territory in 1975 and forced colonial power Spain to withdraw without holding a UN sanctioned referendum on the future of the state. With Franco on his deathbed Spain had little desire for confrontation and so divided the land between Morocco and Mauritania, ignoring the pleas of the indigenous Saharawi people and a ruling by the International Court of Justice which found neither...
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![Dada Mohammed Kehel, 54. Bedouin woman pictured at her home in Tifariti, in Polisario controlled Western Sahara: 'I was born in Smara in the occupied territory [of Western Sahara] in 1955. I remember the valleys and littles houses. I loved those valleys around Smara. I felt free there, even the wind smelt of freedom. I used to go to school with Spanish children, it was a simple life together, we integrated, I had Spanish friends. When they left they buried the Saharawi, we felt stabbed in the back. When Morocco invaded I ran with my family, it was a surprise because nobody had radios. Some fled on foot and others on camels but many were caught. I spent a lot of time in the camps, I hated it there, I felt like a tourist of Algeria and I hated this feeling. So after the ceasefire I moved to the liberated territory. We are free here and I love it but there are difficulties. But even with these difficulties this is a better life. I hated to lose our men in the war but it was necessary to get justice and independence. I lost two husbands. The first in 1978 in Operation Smara when the Polisario tried to free civilian prisoners, the second died in an operation near Zuk. If war started again my sons could die like their fathers, they feel the same as him.'](http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000OqyB3qaMpRM/t/200/I0000OqyB3qaMpRM.jpg)
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![Abdullah Kheylanie, 30, driver of a water truck. Pictured on the road outside Smara refugee camp: 'The job is very difficult driving and delivering water. There is a well near Smara and we pump the water into the truck. It is salty so you cannot drink it but there is a machine that makes the water less salty. Early in the morning I get the water from the well and then deliver it to the families in Smara. Each family has a water tank near their home, some have two. The Dira [section of camp] organises it, one tank usually lasts a family eight days. The water is free, the Polisario pay me for this job, it is a very good job to have in the camps. There are three trucks in Smara and we work every day, I don't know when the well will run dry. Life here is very hard. I don't know much about the UN and politics but I know that which is taken by force and only be taken back by force. We should return to war.'.](http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000yRPR2gq2NEU/t/200/I0000yRPR2gq2NEU.jpg)
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![Nabil Salek Salma, 8. Pictured in Smara refugee camp, Algeria: 'I am eight. I live in Smara [refugee camp] with my father and mother, my uncle, my grandfather and my brother. I play football and sometimes I lie down alone. In school we learn Arabic, Spanish and Technology. The best thing in the world is God, the second best thing is praying, the third best is my father and mother. My favourite thing is sleeping. I want to be the Chief of Police when I grow up. When anyone says anything rude to me I will give him a slap! I want to get my land with tanks and weapons and everything. If I'm not afraid of my father and mother how can I be afraid of anything else? For me all Moroccans are one finger or a teapot, they are nothing! If the other boys are free people they will fight with me, if they are not let them get out of here!'.](http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000jaFiZEnNK.Y/t/200/I0000jaFiZEnNK.Y.jpg)
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![Ayub Ahmed Mohamed, 10. Pictured in El Aaiun refugee camp, Algeria, wearing his favourite Barcelona jersey: 'I like learning Spanish. I was in Spain three times. I went with many Saharawi kids but I lived with a Spanish family. Barcelona FC are my favourite thing in the world, they are the best team. I went to the Nou Camp in Barcelona to see them play. It's a nice stadium. It was raining, they were playing Manchester United. It was full, I couldn't see an empty seat. Barca won 2-0. Xavi passed to Messi and he headed it into the goal. I jumped in air and we were screaming. This summer I saw Ibrahimovic. I wanted Eto to stay at Barca because he was the best striker in the world. Now Messi is. Ibrahimovic is cross-eyed. Real Madrid don't know how to play, Inter Milan beat them 3-2. Even with Kaka and Ronaldo Barca will beat them. Cristiano [Ronaldo] cannot play for a long time. When the others take the ball from Kaka he always falls over. Only one of my friends supports Real all the others support Barca. If I see another boy with a Real shirt I will rip it. I once stole my brother's Real shirt and threw it away. Sometimes we find photos of Real players and we burn them.'..](http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000qRg8m8oHa70/t/200/I0000qRg8m8oHa70.jpg)
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![Hamdi Omar Toubali, 26. Pictured at his home in 27th of February refugee camp, Algeria: 'On the 14th October 2006 I took part in a big demonstration in El Aaiun with my friends. During this time the Moroccans [filmed] me because I had a big flag. So in the night the Moroccans enter my house searching for me, my mother she tell them she don't know anything about me. So after that my father he come and tell me Hamdi you must do something because the government he will catch you. We drove to the desert and after two hundred kilometres my friend told me that now we must walk. He told me the wall was thirty kilometres away and I was not to smoke or talk and that I must not think about the Moroccan soldiers or the mines. I walked on alone and after four or five hours I found myself in the wall. There were lights coming from small rooms and I could hear some talk not far away from me. I crossed the wall and started running. I lived in the desert for two days and after that I found one man who took me to his small family living in the desert and after one day they took me the Saharawi camps in Algeria.' .](http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000ovIVpnu69Ak/t/200/I0000ovIVpnu69Ak.jpg)
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