Western Sahara, centre of US media debate in Washington

Western Sahara issue was at the heart of a debate of representatives from several U.S. media, organized by the foundation’’ the international women’s media foundation’’ (IWMF) in Washington. Under the theme of ’’rights, resources and refugees: stories about the impasse of Western Sahara issue,’’ the meeting has been particularly run by journalists who have made reports in Western Sahara in 2012 and 2013. They explained to the participants that this is Africa’s last colony. This panel consisted of Washington Post’s Whitney Shefte, Elisa Barclay from US radio NPR and Jenn Abelson from e Boston Globe newspaper, assisted by Katlyn Thomas, former lawyer at the United Nations Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), and Anna Theofilopoulou, former senior official at the UN. In their interventions, preceded by the screening of video report made by Washington Post on Western Sahara issue, the three US journalists reported living testimonies on the political situation as well as human rights conditions in the occupied territories by Morocco. They have debated the brutal suppression policy led by the Moroccan authorities against the Sahrawis as they expressed pressures and obstacles they experienced, like western journalists in occupied Al-Ayun, last December and May. Human rights violation, economic and social exclusion are the reality of most Sahrawis living in the occupied territories by Morocco, participants in the debate confirmed.