In a special report dedicated to development in the southern provinces, especially the city of Dakhla, the author of the article, Ricardo Sánchez Serra, calls on the « Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to rectify this position, so as not to fall into ridicule and continue to lose voices in the international community and upset friendly countries ».
Sánchez Serra warns, in this sense, against « the erratic and biased information on the Sahara that refers to a republic in Tindouf, which does not exist, because it does not meet the requirements of a state, according to international law”.
Sánchez Serra, who is vice-president of the Federation of Journalists of Peru, gave a poignant testimony about the reality in Tindouf, Algeria, where some 50,000 refugees are detained by the polisario with the complacency of Algiers.
These refugees « live in the most arid desert of the Sahara and in inhuman conditions, for more than 45 years, under tents and in poor hygienic conditions. They have no water or electricity. In these camps, there is no work, no freedom, no hope of life, » writes Sánchez Serra, who describes how the polisario militias impose close surveillance to prevent people from fleeing to freedom.
The Peruvian journalist says that « the only ones who live well are their oppressors, their captors, that is to say, the leaders of the polisario and their families, whose children are sent to study abroad, thanks to the profits obtained from the sale of international humanitarian aid”.
On the other hand, in the city of Dakhla, writes Sánchez Serra, walking through the streets gives a pleasant impression.
He adds that « the standard of living in Dakhla, and in the southern provinces of Morocco in general, is the highest in the country, due to the sustainable socio-economic development program launched in 2015 by King Mohammed VI, with an investment of 7 billion euros and legislation that grants facilities to investors.
Pointing out that many projects are underway, particularly in the fisheries, energy, agriculture, tourism and infrastructure sectors, the Peruvian newspaper notes that more than a dozen consulates have been opened in Dakhla, which gives this city a special importance in promoting trade relations.
Similarly, it adds, the Dakhla mega-port project will soon become the best port in the African Atlantic Ocean, with industrial zones that will stimulate economic growth and provide work for thousands of people in the region. The future port of Dakhla will also be the link between Morocco and all of Africa.
Sánchez Serra concludes his report with questions whose answers are obvious: if you were Sahrawi, where would you like to live? In the Moroccan Sahara, in freedom, on your land among your family, or in Tindouf, in slavery, in a foreign country, without hope, without freedom?
