Mahfoud Ali Beiba Hammad Dueihi ( ar, محفوظ علي بيبا حماد; born 1953 – died July 2, 2010) was a Sahrawi politician and co-founder of the

Polisario Front The Polisario Front, Frente Polisario, Frelisario or simply Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro), (in ar, rtl=yes, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الس� ...

, a national

liberation movement A liberation movement is an organization or political movement leading a rebellion, or a non-violent social movement, against a colonial power or national government, often seeking independence based on a nationalist identity and an anti-imperial ...

that seeks

self-determination The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a '' jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It sta ...

for

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...

. From 1975 until his death, he lived in an exile in the

refugee camps A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced peop ...

Tindouf Tindouf (Berber: Tinduf, ar, تندوف) is the main town, and a commune in Tindouf Province, Algeria, close to the Mauritanian, Western Saharan and Moroccan borders. The commune has population of around 160,000 but the census and population ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Youth and background

Ali Beiba was born in 1953 in

El Aaiún Laâyoune ( , also , ) or El Aaiún ( , ; Hassaniya Arabic: , romanized: ; ber, ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ, Leɛyun; ar, label=Modern Standard Arabic, Literary Arabic, العيون, al-ʿUyūn/el-ʿUyūn, lit=The Spring (hydrology), Springs) is the la ...

, the capital of the territory then called

Spanish Sahara Spanish Sahara ( es, Sahara Español; ar, الصحراء الإسبانية, As-Sahrā'a Al-Isbānīyah), officially the Spanish Possessions in the Sahara from 1884 to 1958 then Province of the Sahara between 1958 and 1976, was the name used f ...

(now known as Moroccan Sahara). He studied in several Quranic schools, then the

Primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

and

Secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

education at Spanish colonial schools, although he did not finish his studies because of family issues. As a child in El Aaiún, the

Zemla Intifada The Zemla Intifada (or the Zemla Uprising) is the name used to refer to disturbances of June 17, 1970, which culminated in a massacre (between 2 and 11 persons were killed) by Spanish Legion forces in the Zemla district of El Aaiun, Spanish Sah ...

occurred, in which an unknown number of Sahrawi civilians were killed by the

Spanish Legion For centuries, Spain recruited foreign soldiers to its army, forming the Foreign Regiments () - such as the Regiment of Hibernia (formed in 1709 from Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the Flight of the Earls and the pen ...

in a demonstration.

Polisario Front

In 1972, after hearing about the Sahrawi

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

demonstrations during the ''mussem'' (an event that is both religious festivity and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

show) of

Tan-Tan Tan-Tan ( ar, طانطان, ber, ⵟⴰⵏⵟⴰⵏ) is a city in Tan-Tan Province in the region of Guelmim-Oued Noun in southwestern Morocco. It is a desert town with a population (2014 census) of 73,209. It is the largest city in the provinc ...

, he travelled to the former Spanish protectorate, being the nexus between the Sahrawi groups in Western Sahara and Southern Morocco. In the foundation of the POLISARIO, he was designated as the head of the

delegation. He also joined the first cell of special operations within the POLISARIO. In 1974, he was elected as head of the Political Affairs Committee, during the II General Popular Congress of the POLISARIO. He also accompanied

El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed ; 1948 – 9 June 1976) was a Sahrawi nationalist leader, co-founder and second Secretary-General of the Polisario Front. Youth and background El-Ouali was born in 1948 in a Sahrawi nomad encampment somewhere on the ''hammada'' desert plains ...

, then POLISARIO General Secretary, to the first interview with the

Sahrawi National Union Party The Sahrawi National Union Party, or ''Partido de Unión Nacional Saharaui'' (PUNS), was a short-lived political party set up by Francoist Spain to rally indigenous support in its rebellious Spanish Sahara colony (presently Western Sahara). ...

General Secretary

Khelli Henna Ould Rachid Khalihenna Ould-Errachid ( ar, خلي هنا ولد الرشيد; ''Khalihuna Walad Al-Rashid'') is a Sahrawi Moroccan politician. He is the president of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS), a Moroccan government body supp ...

in Mauritania. On the night of February 27, 1976, he was one of the POLISARIO leaders present in Bir Lehlou during the proclamation of independence of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic by the Provisional Sahrawi National Council. Beiba briefly served as the provisional POLISARIO's Secretary-General, the movement's top post, starting on June 10, 1976, as he had constitutionally succeeded the organization's first leader,

, who had been killed in combat in

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

the day before. After about two months, the III General Popular Congress (GPC) was convened, and in the elections Beiba was replaced by long-standing Sahrawi president

Mohamed Abdelaziz Mohamed Abdelaziz can refer to a number of people: * Mohamed Abdelaziz (Sahrawi politician) (1946–2016), President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976–2016) *Mohamed Abdelaziz (Libyan politician) Mohamed Abdelaziz is a Libyan polit ...

, who was last re-elected in 2011. Following his service as Secretary-General, Beiba held several high-ranking posts in the POLISARIO structure and as a minister of the

exile government A government in exile (abbreviated as GiE) is a political group that claims to be a country or semi-sovereign state's legitimate government, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile us ...

of the

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (; SADR; also romanized with Saharawi; ar, الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية ' es, República Árabe Saharaui Democrática), also known as Western Sahara, is a ...

(SADR), including as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

in 1982-85 and 1988–93. In 1995-99 he again served as Prime Minister but was forced out of office after the exile parliament, the

Sahrawi National Council The Sahrawi National Council (SNC) or Sahrawi Parliament is the legislature of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Its structure and competences are guided by the Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The present speaker ...

, brought his government down with a

vote of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

. He was replaced by

Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun (in ; born 9 July 1954) is a Sahrawi politician currently serving as the Prime Minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic since . He was a former ambassador to Algeria, with a base in Algiers. He has been prime min ...

, who appointed him to the post of minister for the occupied territories. From 2003, Beiba served as president and speaker of the SNC, and in this capacity he was also a member of POLISARIO's executive organ, the National Secretariat. Since 1997, he had been the head of the Sahrawi delegations on the successive negotiations with Morocco.

Death

On July 2, 2010, Beiba suffered a fatal

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

at his home in the February 27th camp (Sahrawi refugee camps, Tindouf). The SADR presidency declared a week of national mourning in his memory. On July 4, a bunch of Sahrawis went to Beiba's family house in El Aaiún to express their condolences and made a collective praying for the deceased. Moroccan police intervened to avoid both the praying and more individuals to come to the house, making some people shouting slogans of support to the POLISARIO and the right of self-determination. Police charged against the protestors who came in with stones and rocks, injuring several of them. The same day, he was buried in a cemetery at the Sahrawi refugee camps, with the presence of the higher authorities of the SADR. The

National Assembly of Panama The National Assembly of Panama ( es, Asamblea Nacional de Panamá), formerly the Legislative Assembly of Panama ''(Asamblea Legislativa de Panamá)'', is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic of Panama. It is a unicameral l ...

approved a resolution on July 8 that regretted Beiba's death, calling it an "irreparable loss". On July 11, Beiba was replaced by Kathri Aduh as president of the SNC.

Quotes

Some selected quotes: *"We use the strength of law, and they have recoursed to the right of force" *"Nature never admits the void, as like politics, our cause will have its good end" *"If the (Spanish) abandonment of the Sahara was a political mistake of the dictatorship, it is logical that democracy repair it now" *"If Sahrawis vote someday to be Moroccans, I will not be a Moroccan"

Legacy

A group of activists headed by the "''Western Sahara Occupied Territories Human Rights Observatory''" who had tried since late 2010 to make up a

flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same clas ...

from the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

to sail to Western Sahara, in the shape of the

Gaza flotilla The Gaza Freedom Flotilla, organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH), was carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials, with the intention of breakin ...

, had named the expedition as "''Independence Flotilla Mahfud Ali Beiba''". The 13th GPC of the Polisario Front, celebrated between 15 and 19 December 2011 in

Tifariti Tifariti (Berber: Tifariti, ar, تيفاريتي) is an oasis town located in north-eastern Western Sahara, east of the Moroccan Berm, from Smara and north of the border with Mauritania. It is part of what Polisario Front calls the '' Liberated ...

, had been named "''Martyr Mahfoud Ali Beiba''" in his honour. On July 2, 2012 a promotion of the SPLA Special Forces named "''Mahfud Ali Beiba''" was graduated on a ceremony held at the Sahrawi refugee camps.

References