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Haidar strike Sahrawi activist returns home

The move came after an agreement was reached for his return home, as reported previously the independence movement in Western Sahara, the Polisario Front.

“This is a triumph, a victory for international law, human rights, international justice and the Saharawi cause, “Haidar told reporters as he left the health center where he spent entered the final day of his stay in Lanzarote before leaving.

Sahrawi activist, 43, has been on hunger strike over a month in the Canary Islands after the Moroccan authorities refused him entry when returning from a trip to New York.

The plane took off from Lanzarote airport to the uproar of the platform members and supporters gathered to bid farewell to the activity, as was heard on radio links.

The Spanish Government issued a statement late on Thursday that called on Morocco to allow his return and where he said he shared the concern of the international community for progress in negotiations on Western Sahara.

“While the dispute is resolved in accordance with the UN position, Spain notes that Moroccan law applies in the territory of Western Sahara,” the Spanish government statement.

A statement from the Elysee Palace, home of the French presidency, confirmed that Morocco had agreed to return her passport to Haidar.

All day rumors pointing to a possible end to the conflict, confirmed bythe Polisario Front independence movement in Western Sahara.

“In fact, everything has been resolved, according to our information,” said Ibrahim Ghali, Ambassador of the Polisario in Algeria, where the movement is headquartered.

Haidar was arrested Nov. 13 by the Moroccan authorities to return to the town Laayoune on a flight that did scale in the Canary Islands and that came from the U.S., where the activist had received an award for his advocacy of human rights in Western Sahara.

Western Sahara is administered by Morocco.

The woman, who said that the Moroccan authorities took away his passport was returned to Lanzarote, where he began a hunger strike in order to return home. Morocco maintains that it rejected the Moroccan nationality.

The case, in addition to returning to present the unresolved issue on the situation in Western Sahara, has placed Spain in an awkward situation.

The government, heavily criticized by organizations of solidarity with the former Spanish colony, tries to keep intact the good relations with Morocco, a country crucial to Spain on issues such as security and immigration.

(Reporting by Christian Lowe in Algiers and Raquel Castillo and Teresa Larraz in Madrid, Editorial de Madrid)