Haj Ahmed Barikallah first secretary of the Saharawi Peace Movement, was introduced to academics and journalists in Buenos Aires by Dr. Graciela L. Cosentino, president of the International Committee for Dialogue and Peace, and Dr. Adalberto C. Agozino, coordinating secretary of the sponsoring NGO. Agozino, coordinating secretary of the sponsoring NGO.
Mr. Barikallah assured that “The Saharawi Movement for Peace is a popular clamor and a conjunctural demand”.
He referred to the fact that the members of the Front for Peace, were in the past members of the Polisario Front and therefore initially shared the ideals of building an independent, democratic and progressive society in the Sahara ideals that, unfortunately, with the passage of time and international changes were lost and distorted.
Today it maintains strong disagreements with the Polisario Front.
Barikallah made reference to the fact that when he broke with his comrades of the Polisario Front he moved to Madrid and that he never went to Morocco, a country he does not know despite being born in the Moroccan city of Dakhla.
He explained that the Saharawi Movement for Peace, which has just turned four years old, was born in the midst of the Covid pandemic, to bring the conflict out of its stagnation.
To this end, he appealed to the support of the notables of the tribes, some of whom were present at the Dakar Conference of October 2023.
Ahmed considers that the alternative of a war, as proposed by the Polisario Front, is a mistake because it is impossible to defeat Morocco on the battlefield and it makes no sense to arrive at “a numantine resistance” by sacrificing the Saharawis to give a testimony, to be an example of martyrs.
He was categorical in pointing out that this is not the solution.
Barikallah also opposed all forms of violence, affirming that this is not the way to go, given the effectiveness of the drones available to Morocco, which are too accurate and exterminate young Saharawis.
This is a reality that the Polisario leaders find difficult to understand.
Moreover, it should be considered that the Saharawi population is a little more than 200,000 people while Morocco had 37 million inhabitants.
The First Secretary of the MSP was therefore inclined to arrive at a just solution which would take into account the interests of Morocco and the rights of the Saharawis.
He also censured the idea of a political regime based on a single party, pointing out that it is an anachronism, a thing of the past that only states like North Korea and one or two other countries maintain.
He explained that an alternative must be given to the people in the camps who live in need in one of the worst deserts on earth.
In conclusion, he ratified that the MSP accepts the Moroccan Autonomy Proposal as a possible solution and asked for a road map that would allow within approximately three years to form an autonomous Saharawi government with its three powers: executive, legislative and judicial under the sovereignty of the King of Morocco.
“We wish, said Barikallah , a negotiation within the framework of the United Nations or a direct negotiation. We believe that the Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sahara Mr Staffan de Mistura should convene a meeting of the dialogue table, interrupted since 2019.”said Barikallah
“But, de Mistura has failed to make an inch of progress in this regard. If this is not possible we are ready for a direct negotiation with Morocco.”, concluded Barikallah .
The first secretary of the MSP concluded by asserting that every day more and more Saharawi people support the MSP as a valid alternative and a way out of the Sahara conflict.
The message promoted by Haj Ahmed Barikallah is to contribute to the resolution of a conflict that has been stagnant for more than fifty years affecting thousands of people forced to live in harsh conditions in the camps in southern Algeria.
Barikallah also argued that this proposal is the antithesis of the Polisario Front, which administers the Tindouf refugee camps in Algeria and claims to represent the interests of the Sahrawi population forced to live in these camps, taking advantage of this population to support its privileges while systematically opposing any proposal for a solution to the conflict.
