Assa (South Morocco), 17/04/2006 (SPS) Hundreds young Saharawis in the city of Assa, south of Morocco, succeeded in making of a musical night organised by the Moroccan authorities in their city to an opportunity of distribution of tracts demanding the immediate withdrawal of the Moroccan occupation from the Western Sahara and asking for "the immediate and unconditional release" of all Saharawi political prisoners in Moroccan custody, reported SPS’s correspondent on the ground.

This "musical show", which was dedicated by the Moroccan colonial authorities to present their points of view concerning their preposition of autonomy, quickly became the theatre to young Saharawis raising the flags of the Saharawi Arab Democratic flags. The youngsters were also chanting slogans asking for the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination and independence.

The Moroccan forces of repression composed of "gendarmerie and auxiliary forces" immediately "dispersed the young demonstrators and chased them in the different streets of Assa city".

According to eye witnesses, new Moroccan military forces were heading to Assa coming from Coulmine (a southern Moroccan city).

On another hand, Many Saharawi students and their parents were interpellated by the Moroccan authorities in the occupied cities of the Western Sahara, while the houses of many recently Saharawi political prisoners are put under tight surveillance, concordant sources said.

In addition, tracts were distributed in the occupied city of El Aaiun, rejecting the Moroccan preposition of autonomy and asking for the "release of the Saharawi political prisoners and to enable the Saharawi people to exercise their right to self-determination". (SPS)

020/090/110/TRD 171230 Avr 06 SPS 

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