Death toll rises to six in Western Sahara clashes

[News_Editor]

Death toll rises to six in Western Sahara clashes

2010-11-09 20:48:37 GMT+7 (ICT)

RABAT, MOROCCO (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll has risen to six after violent clashes broke out between protesters and Moroccan security forces in the disputed territory in the Western Sahara, officials said on Tuesday. At least seventy others were hurt.

Police dispersed the protesting camp of the Polisario Front on the outskirts of the city of Laayoune, the region's main city, reportedly using tear gas and pressure hoses. According to reports, 5 officials were killed, including a firefighter, while Polisario said a 26-year-old activist was killed.

The Gdaim Izik camp, which was made up of around 12,000 people, mostly Saharawi refugees, refused several orders to leave the area, moments before Monday's talks in New York about the future of the disputed phosphate-rich territory.

Foreign Minister of the self-appointed government for the region, Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, said hundreds had been wounded.

"I can't yet tell you the exact figure, notably if anyone was killed, but the hospitals are full," Salek said as reports indicate that the region is now calm following the riots.

Morocco, which annexed the territory in 1975, is seeking autonomy for the area, while the Polisario Front has been seeking independence for the Western Sahara. For decades, both sides have had confrontations.

During the unrest, two fires were seen in the city, and hundreds of people fought with police officers throughout the streets of Laayoune. Morocco's official news agency said two security personnel were killed, while 70 others had been injured.

The Western Sahara region was a Spanish colony but, after it withdrew, Morocco annexed the region. Polisario Front has fought a guerrilla war against Morocco until the United Nations negotiated a ceasefire in 1991.

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