- Western Sahara has become the last African nation to launch its official national broadcaster, heading its operations from the Algerian refugee camps where most of the Sahrawi population lives.
The launch of the satellite broadcast of the first national Sahrawi television (RASD-TV) was given yesterday morning by the President of the Sahrawi Arabic Democratic Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz. The launch coincided with the celebration of the 36th anniversary of the outbreak of armed struggle for liberation and independence, on 20 May 1973.
The event was launched at the headquarters of the RASD-TV in Shahid el Hafed - in the Smara refugee camp - by President Abdelaziz, in the presence of members of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front, the government of Western Sahara, parliament, the Advisory council, and the governor of Algerian district of Tindouf, Abdelhakim Chater, representatives of the Algerian and Spanish Solidarity movements and hundreds of Saharawi citizens from different Saharawi refugee camps.
"On the occasion of the celebration of 36th anniversary of the outbreak of the Saharawi liberation armed struggle, we are launching the first Sahrawi TV channel ", said Mr Abdelaziz, congratulating the Sahrawi people for this new media weapon which "will strengthen the other Sahrawi media to defend the just cause of the Saharawi people to recover their inalienable rights to self-determination and independence.".
The President visited different departments of the headquarters of the RASD TV and listened to explanations about the development of the various stages of production, editing and montages, reports the Sahrawi news agency SPS.
Media in the Sahrawi refugee camps are strongly controlled by the Polisario liberation movement, which forms the widely recognised government of Western Sahara, and Sahrawi media are obliged to promote and make internationally known Polisario's view of the ongoing conflict with occupying power Morocco. RASD-TV is expected to follow the same editorial line.
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