The World Federation of Democratic Youth has been informed that thousands of Sahrawis have left the occupied city of Laayoun to set up tents in the desert to demand their right to self-determination and better treatment in their own country, and they are now encircled by the Moroccan army.

This situation has become extremely dangerous for the Sahrawis who have been denied the right to self-determination first promised by Spain, affirmed by the International Court of Justice, and then promised once again by the United Nations.
The latest tragedy of the death of 14 year old, Nayem el-Gareh, who was shot by Moroccan soldiers this week, must be denounced and not ignored as Nayem joins a long list of Sahrawis who have been imprisoned, tortured and killed by the Moroccan authorities during the Sahrawis last thirty five year struggle for their right to self-determination.

The United Nations needs to take responsibility to protect the Sahrawis in the occupied territories of Western Sahara and it must include the monitoring of human rights in the mandate of its mission in the territory MINURSO, because the UN has caused this tragedy by not complying with its commitments to organize the promised referendum.

WFDY calls upon all its member and friend organizations to respond to the escalating violence by Moroccan authorities against the Sahrawis in occupied Western Sahara. We call upon The United Nations to respond by sending peacekeeping soldiers to protect the vulnerable Sahrawis population. We also join the call of our member organization, UJSARIO, for media reporters, human rights activists and others to go to the occupied territory to report first-hand on the situation.