Harakat Tahrir
Encyclopedia
The Movement for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro, sometimes referred to as the Movement for the Liberation of the Sahara or simply the Liberation Movement (Harakat Tahrir in Arabic
) was created in 1969 by Muhammad Bassiri
, a Smara
-based Sahrawi quranic teacher, to work for the independence of Western Sahara
.
The aim of the Harakat Tahrir was the peaceful overturning of Spanish
colonial
rule and achievement of then-Spanish Sahara
's self determination. It initially organized and operated in secret, but revealed its existence in a demonstration in El-Aaiun
against Spanish rule on June 17, 1970, when it attempted to hand over a petition to the Spanish colonial rulers calling for better treatment and Western Sahara's independence.
The protest was suppressed by the Spanish forces. The disturbances and deaths of several demonstraors have been named the Zemla Intifada
, or uprising, after the place the demonstration was held. A nation-wide hunt for members of the movement followed: Bassiri himself was arrested and "disappeared
" in Spanish custody. He is assumed to have been killed by his jailers, and is counted by the present-day Sahrawi nationalist
movement as its first modern-day martyr
. (Morocco, which claims Western Sahara as its own province, has also similarly attempted to appropriate his legacy, arguing that the Harakat Tahrir was primarily interested in ejecting Spain, not in achieving independence as a nation separate from Morocco.)
After the crushing of the Harakat Tahrir, Sahrawi nationalists abandoned the hope of a peaceful end to colonial occupation
. In May 1973 the militant Polisario Front
formed under the leadership of El-Ouali, calling for armed revolution against Spanish rule; it was joined by numerous former Harakat Tahrir members. The Polisario, which is still active, would later turn its guns on the Moroccan
and Mauritania
n forces which invaded Western Sahara upon Spain's departure in 1975.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
) was created in 1969 by Muhammad Bassiri
Muhammad Bassiri
Muhammad Sidi Brahim Sidi Embarek Basir was a Sahrawi nationalist leader, disappeared and presumed executed by the Spanish Legion in June 1970.- Biography :Muhammad Bassiri was born to Sahrawi family in Tan-Tan...
, a Smara
Smara
Smara, also Semara , is a city in the Moroccan-Administered Western Sahara, with a population estimated at 42,056.-History:The largest city in its province, Smara was founded in the Saguia el-Hamra as an oasis for travellers in 1869. It is the only major city in Western Sahara that was not founded...
-based Sahrawi quranic teacher, to work for the independence of Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
.
The aim of the Harakat Tahrir was the peaceful overturning of Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
rule and achievement of then-Spanish Sahara
Spanish Sahara
Spanish Sahara was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was ruled as a territory by Spain between 1884 and 1975...
's self determination. It initially organized and operated in secret, but revealed its existence in a demonstration in El-Aaiun
El Aaiún
El-Aaiún , is a city in Western Sahara founded by the Spanish in 1928. Administered by Morocco since 1976, El-Aaiún is the capital of what the Moroccan government call the region of Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, and POLISARIO call Occupied Territories...
against Spanish rule on June 17, 1970, when it attempted to hand over a petition to the Spanish colonial rulers calling for better treatment and Western Sahara's independence.
The protest was suppressed by the Spanish forces. The disturbances and deaths of several demonstraors have been named the Zemla Intifada
Zemla Intifada
The Zemla Intifada is the name used by the Algerian-backed Polisario movement to refer to disturbances of June 17, 1970, which culminated in a massacre by Spanish forces in the Zemla district of El-Aaiun, Western Sahara .Leaders of the hitherto secret organization Harakat Tahrir, among them its...
, or uprising, after the place the demonstration was held. A nation-wide hunt for members of the movement followed: Bassiri himself was arrested and "disappeared
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
" in Spanish custody. He is assumed to have been killed by his jailers, and is counted by the present-day Sahrawi nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
movement as its first modern-day martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
. (Morocco, which claims Western Sahara as its own province, has also similarly attempted to appropriate his legacy, arguing that the Harakat Tahrir was primarily interested in ejecting Spain, not in achieving independence as a nation separate from Morocco.)
After the crushing of the Harakat Tahrir, Sahrawi nationalists abandoned the hope of a peaceful end to colonial occupation
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
. In May 1973 the militant Polisario Front
Polisario Front
The POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
formed under the leadership of El-Ouali, calling for armed revolution against Spanish rule; it was joined by numerous former Harakat Tahrir members. The Polisario, which is still active, would later turn its guns on the Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
n forces which invaded Western Sahara upon Spain's departure in 1975.