Music festival cut short in W. Sahara over disturbances



RABAT- Moroccan authorities said they cut short a music festival in the Western Sahara town of Dakhla Sunday after disturbances "exploited by separatists" left 15 people injured.
"We have announced the end of the 'Sea and Desert' festival because of Saturday's disturbances during which 15 people were hurt, and shops and as well as a bank branch were destroyed," Hamid Chabar, a local official, told a press conference.



The independent website goud.ma meanwhile said one person died during the trouble after being hit by a vehicle. The state news agency MAP said police were hunting "the perpetrators of this crime."
Chabar accused separatists, a reference to the Western Sahara independence movement Polisario Front, of exploiting the disturbances for "political purposes".
The Polisario demands a self-determination referendum in the Western Sahara, a phosphate-rich territory that was annexed by Morocco after Spain withdrew in 1975. Morocco has only offered greater autonomy.
Several witnesses said the clashes erupted Saturday during a show by a popular Moroccan singer. Cars were set ablaze and shops as well as a bank branch were destroyed, according to witnesses reached by telephone.
The week-long Dakhla festival, which kicked off Monday, features several African artists, including South Africa's Johnny Clegg, Ivory Coast's Alpha Blondy and Morocco's Abdelwahab Doukkali.
Saturday almost 1,000 people rallied amid a heavy police presence in Morocco's biggest city Casablanca to demand political reforms and a new constitution, a witness told AFP.
That protest took place nearly a week after thousands of people staged rallies across Morocco demanding political reform and limits on the powers of King Mohammed VI under the so-called "February 20" movement.
Thousands of young Moroccans have joined the "February 20" movement on the social networking site Facebook, calling for peaceful demonstrations demanding a new constitution limiting the king's powers and more social justice.
The call has similar origins to the revolts that toppled decades-old regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and sparked protests in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Oman.
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Monday, February 28th 2011
AFP
           


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