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The death of Sahrawi student Sabah Njourni, 24, in a car accident that occurred Friday night in Laayoune, has been used as a political card by the Polisario Front. On Monday, the Polisario’s «Minister Delegate to Europe» sent a letter to the European Union, urging the bloc to «make Morocco respect international law and put an end to opression in the occupied Sahrawi territories».
Mohamed Sidati, quoted by pro-Polisario newspaper Futuro Sahara, condemned what he deems a «heinous murder of a young woman from the Sahara during the peaceful celebration that followed the victory of the Algerian football team at the Africa Cup of Nations».
In his letter to the European Union High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the EU Member States, he alleged that the «crackdown on Sahrawis has resulted in the murder of the 23-year-old young woman, who was struck by the Moroccan law enforcement authorities». He added that «Sabah participated in the celebrations of the victory of the Algerian team».
Linking the death of Sabah to riots
Sidati’s letter was followed by the statements of the UK-based NGO Adala UK. Quoted by Algerian newspaper El Massa, the pro-Polisario NGO denounced the «human rights situation in the Sahara and the repression campaigns launched by the Moroccan authorities». The association has even claimed that around «146 people were wounded» during the riots in the Sahara, linking the death of Sabah with the events that followed the football match on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Polisario’s representative in Denmark Mohamed Limal Mohamed Aali sent a statement to the «public opinion» in the Scandinavian country to publicize the death of the young Sahrawi.
In his statement, he alleged that «many civilians were seriously wounded», referring to «arrests». He also added that some of the «arrestees are nowhere to be found».
These reactions follow that of the general secretariat of the separatist movement, convened Saturday in Rabouni. During this meeting, Brahim Ghali sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, calling on «him to conduct an independent international investigation in order to reveal the circumstances of the heinous crime that claimed the life of young Sahrawi Sabah Othman Hameid».
A tragic event that has nothing to do with politics
Sabah Njourni died Friday evening at the Laayoune Regional Hospital where she was transferred after a car accident caused by an anti-riot police vehicle. She crossed Smara Avenue after leaving a private language school where she was teaching English to children, Spanish agency EFE reports.
The latter explains that «the young Sabah Njourni was not involved in the demonstrations» that Laayoune and other Saharan cities have witnessed. Moreover, a video shared on social media, refutes the version of the story publicized by the Polisario.
The victim’s sister Jamaa Njourni have confirmed her death on her Facebook page, referring to the circumstances of the death, without using the vocabulary used by the Polisario and its platforms that wanted to take advantage of the tragic event.
On Saturday night, the Attorney General's office in Laayoune court ordered the opening of a judicial inquiry to clarify the circumstances of this tragedy.
