I must say that before posting on this blog this interview, I have the personal approval of Abdelilahou Issou
[These are some Excerpts - translated from French - the recent interview of former Moroccan officer to Algerian newspaper "Echorouk"]. Translation: Muntada Sahara.
Abdelilahou Issou, the official Moroccan army deserter in exclusive statements to the Algerian newspaper "Echorouk"
"The cease-fire saved the Moroccan army from defeat against Polisario
Abdelilahou
Issou was an army officer who served in Morocco and Western Sahara have lived the war on Front Polisario. Today, he lives as a political refugee in Madrid, Spain, since he fled his country in January 2002. is chased by Moroccan intelligence services for several years. These services have tried to kidnap him.
He was accused of spying for the secret services of Spain. Abdelilahou Issou was born on June 8, 1965 in Tetuan, in northern Morocco.
In this interview, the first that gives an Arab newspaper, it revealed to this newspaper several stories about the army of Morocco, Western Sahara, drug trafficking and human rights. Anouar Malek
: How do you joined the army in Morocco? Abdelilahou
Issou: After the massacres committed by the Moroccan army in January 1984 in Tetuan and other cities to suppress the strike force at the time, I decided to join the military academy to try to change things from within. At that time, I was convinced that people were "noble" that could change the course of events. I left the academy in September 1988 with the rank of lieutenant and was assigned to the infantry. There is an important detail that I would mention is that my father was a friend of the late General Abdelsalam Elhadj Ben Omar, also called Nigra. This gave me a letter and asked me to convey to his friend General Abdelnabi Brital the academy director at the time. The purpose of this letter was to assign me a good position. However, this was and is against my principles, so that gave him the letter. I'm sure many of my colleagues in those days, and if were me, would have used this golden opportunity. Anouar Malek
: You served Western Sahara as Moroccan army officer, could you tell us something about what you have experienced? Abdelilahou
Issou: As section chief lieutenant and a lieutenant who was appointed company commander. Infantry units in Western Sahara is divided into two categories. The first category is based on the confinement along the belt (the wall) that was built under the supervision of Israeli experts. The wall is of a length of 2700 km. This category has no cars (or trucks or other vehicles). The company is divided into sections. Among the positions that control sections, there are areas of the wall that are not covered, but they are mined and fenced with barbed wire. However, this did not prevent the Front Command units entering these areas. The second category consists of mobile intervention forces quickly. They had vehicles, better weapons and control was better from the tactical standpoint. The units located in the seat belt is removed and run every time there is major attacks, as they lacked the resources to deal with the tanks of Polisario. As head of section have foiled several attempts to infiltrate the Polisario Front Command between 1988 and 1990. But despite my accomplishments, I was never rewarded for it. You see the high command of the south, stationed in the city of Agadir, far from the front, showed off their chests full of medals, despite not ever having stepped on the floor of the Western Sahara. That is the bitter truth. Anouar Malek
: What was the situation of Moroccan soldiers in the barracks during the war? Abdelilahou
Issou: The Polisario daily bombarded us with machine guns of 14.5 and 23 mm mortars and 60 or 82 mm caliber, there were many casualties, not to mention the wounded. Our fortified bases in the wall were permanent objective RPG7 rocket (rocket-propelled grenades), and our life became hell. In addition, commands Saharawi infiltrate our positions and beheaded the sentries. Personally not sleep at night, he was always alert. But after the 1991 ceasefire, the situation has improved. Frankly, the Moroccan army tremble at the thought of the Polisario Front Command. Should war break out again, the Moroccan regime would be the biggest loser, worse still, the soldiers abandon their positions.
99% of the Sahrawi are with the Polisario Front, the self-determination is the only solution. Anouar Malek
: How do you assess the human rights situation in Morocco and Western Sahara? Abdelilahou
Issou: Rights humans are not respected, nor in Morocco or Western Sahara. The Saharawi are considered second class citizens. They are mistreated, persecuted and oppressed, and many of them joined the Frente Polisario. 99% of the Sahrawi are with the Polisario Front, body and soul. It is also for this reason that the Moroccan regime denied the referendum. The Saharawi see their wealth plundered daily. One day I saw a Saharan sand-laden boat for sale in the Canary Islands. The examples on the illegal exploitation of Saharawi resources abound.
Anouar Malek: The Saharawi people is oppressed, their wealth plundered, we could comment on the injustice suffered by these people?
Abdelilahou Issou: An official friend once told me that in the late 70's, a group of soldiers of the 6th Regiment Intervention reached a hammam (Turkish bath) for women in the city of Smara and raped all the women they were there. The soldiers broke into houses and stole everything that had value and raped the women there in their homes. Even children and the elderly did not escape the barbarism of the Moroccan soldiers. The Saharawi people suffering from oppression and injustice, and violence that is physical and moral suffering. Therefore, a large number of Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf went south western Algeria to save their lives.
source: teofermi1.blogspot.com
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--------- NOTE: The interview is longer and covers other topics. The Excerpts translated here are those related to Western Sahara. Abdelilahou
Issou is on facebook, you can visit here http://www.facebook.com/abdel.issou
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