Sultana Jaya's house becomes a symbol of the resistance of the Polisario Front in Western Sahara

Sultana Jaya poses in her house in Bojador with the flag of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, accompanied by other pro-Front Polisario militants, this Saturday. Francisco Peregil Pecellín

The activist Sultana Jaya, 41, goes up to the roof of her house in Bojador, in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara, every afternoon with flags of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

She usually does it together with her sister Elwara de ella, 48, who lives with her and her mother in a two-story house.

The access door to the roof is closed, welded from the outside.

Jaya maintains that "the Moroccan occupying forces" soldered her on December 5 to prevent her from removing the flags.

She recounts that that same day she picked up a rock and opened a hole in the wall.

And that since then she passes through it every afternoon to challenge the Moroccan regime with the flags.

She then spreads the images on social networks, which is where she is actually fighting her battle.

Since last year, Jaya has become the great symbol of the resistance of the Polisario Front within what the Saharawi group considers the "occupied territories" of Morocco.

The armed organization broke the ceasefire with Morocco signed since 1991 before the UN on November 14, 2020. Five days later, Jaya began to denounce on the networks that she was suffering a siege by the "occupying" forces around the house of he.

For the Moroccan authorities consulted by this newspaper, Jaya's complaints are nothing more than "propaganda without any foundation".

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Sultana Jaya (also spelled Khayya) claims that she is constantly watched by plainclothes policemen.

She states that they have invaded her home several times, that they have destroyed her furniture.

And the most serious: she denounces that her sister Elwara, 48, was raped with a Saharawi flag pole on May 12, 2021. And that she has been raped twice with the fingers of hooded men who They entered his house at night, on November 15 and December 5.

“I am not the first woman to be raped by Moroccans.

I am the first to denounce it, ”says Sultana in her house in the municipality of Bojador, with 30,000 inhabitants.

The interview with Jaya took place this Saturday.

She was accompanied to her house, in addition to her sister, several Saharawi militants and two American activists belonging to the Human Rights Action Center (HRAC) organization.

One of them is Ruth McDonough and the other is a doctor who prefers to present himself as Ali and remain anonymous.

Both claim to have entered the house clandestinely on March 16.

“As soon as we published on the networks that we were in the house, the police began to clear the area.

They are still watching, but much more discreetly.

And from our arrival they allowed Sultana's friends to enter.

All the furniture you see here was brought by them.

Because when I entered there was only cement.

The police had destroyed everything and Sultana had nothing”, adds Ali.

Mohamed Salen Saadoun, regional director of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), an official body that maintains certain similarities with the Spanish Ombudsman, assures that he has not been able to verify the veracity of any of the public complaints raised by Jaya.

Salen affirms that his agency has intervened up to 17 times in 2021 to process Sultana's files.

And in none of them have they verified any “siege”.

"Neither we have seen it nor have the authorities told us that there is," says Salen.

The local head of the CNDH affirms that one of the interventions was to solve an electricity problem.

"Sultana was complaining that he had no electricity, but he hadn't even made the request."

Mohamed Salen indicates that several members of this official body have gone to Jaya's house up to three times.

“Every time we went without notifying the authorities.

And we never saw any police.

Last time we went to a doctor.

But Jaya never opened the door for us.”

Sultana Jaya assures that they only performed once, in February.

“In the house we have been a year without electricity and 14 months with torture.

I have no confidence in the CNDH because it is a Moroccan body”.

Regarding the prohibition to leave his house, the person in charge of the CNDH in the Aaiún region, wields: “In Morocco there are women who are pro-Front Polisario who are better known than Sultana Jaya.

For example, Galia Yimi (also written as Djimi) or Aminetu Haidar.

They travel abroad whenever they want.

Why should Jaya be prevented from doing what other activists are doing?”

Sultana Jaya replies: “I have also traveled to Spain and other places.

But since the ceasefire was broken they didn't let me out anymore."

Hassanna Douihi, a 56-year-old activist and friend of Jaya's, also answers: “The good question is not why they don't let her out but why they haven't let anyone see her.

They only started letting us in from March 17, two days after we managed to get these two American observers in here."

Hassanna Douihi assures that in more than 480 days of "siege", Jaya has not been able to receive the visit of any human rights observer, or any journalist.

“They only let two brothers and a sister who live near her bring food.

They beat me up one day when I wanted to enter.

I only managed to get past her house once, on February 19, 2021, the day Sultana was hit on the cheekbone by the police.”

“There have been more than 40 unsuccessful attempts to enter this house and no one has succeeded.

Nor had any journalist entered until today, ”adds Douihi.

When Sultana Jaya is asked why she thinks the authorities have allowed this newspaper access to her home, the activist replies:

-This is a gift that Morocco has given Pedro Sánchez.

Sultana describes the letter signed by the President of the Spanish Government to King Mohamed VI as a "betrayal of the Saharawi people".

In it, the Spanish president assures that the proposal for autonomy –presented by Morocco in 2007– is the most “serious, realistic and credible” basis for resolving the conflict.

“And, furthermore, the letter goes against international law.

Above all, considering that Spain has a historical responsibility with the Saharawi people”, he concludes.

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