[ecr]  The screening of the two documentaries, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, was followed by a conference-debate by director general of the Ministry’s American region Mohamed Berrah, in the presence of mujaheed and former diplomat Mohamed Khelladi and chairman of the Algerian National Committee of Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (CNASPS) Said Ayachi.

The first twenty-minute documentary film, entitled “Western Sahara, a silent mined field,” made in 2019 deals with the issue of anti-personal mines.

It provides several testimonies, like that of an official of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) on the humanitarian mine-clearing operations conducted in Western Sahara and the difficulties he faced in “one of the worlds’s most polluted territories by mines,” notably after the violation of the ceasefire by Morocco and the resumption of the war in Western Sahara.

The second documentary, entitled “Western Sahara: abnormal normalization,” made in February 2022, focuses on the humanitarian situation in the Sahrawi refugee camps after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The audience was able to discover that the international humanitarian aid dropped by nearly 44% during the health crisis and that no less than 39 countries are illegally exploiting the natural resources of Western Sahara.

Elena Rusca, who is also human rights defender, said that these two documentaries made in two different periods, aim to provide testimonies and real stories on this issue.  [/ecr]