Moroccan authorities expel US and Portuguese nationals from Dakhla

On Sunday, August 24, Moroccan authorities in Dakhla expelled two foreign nationals: an American and a Portuguese woman. Both were affiliated with the Washington-based NGO, «International Nonviolence Organization».

The pair arrived in Dakhla on Friday, August 22, with the mission of «assessing the human rights situation on the ground». During their two-day visit, they engaged with members of the CODESA (Collective of Human Rights Defenders in Western Sahara), an organization with strong ties to the Polisario Front.

«In these meetings, the focus was on the severe human rights violations in the occupied Sahrawi territories. The discussions also shed light on the systematic exploitation of natural resources—such as fishing and agriculture—without the consultation or consent of the Sahrawi people, in clear breach of international law», stated CODESA in a statement released on the platform X.

Prior to their expulsion from Dakhla, the two women had planned to meet with journalists sympathetic to the Polisario cause this Sunday.