In September 2022, the Progressive International dispatched an international delegation to the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria.

Over the course of six days, we met with journalists, human rights defenders, unions, women’s organizations, and representatives from the Polisario — the movement fighting to liberate Western Sahara, Africa’s last colony, from occupation.

Since 1975, Western Sahara has been illegally occupied by Morocco, which in turn has served as a proxy for Western interests and received ample backing from NATO, Israel, and others. From the phosphates that are used in the production of fertilizer to the fish that find their way to supermarkets around the world, the territory has been subject to vicious predation by European and US corporations.

One of the challenges faced by the Sahrawi people in their struggle to reclaim Western Sahara from occupation and imperialist extraction is the pervasive use of digital surveillance and warfare. Thousands of Sahrawi activists and journalists have been rounded up based on data extracted from their mobile phones or computers, including with the help of Israeli technology like Pegasus. Beyond the routine arrests, attacks, and torture, digital espionage carries wider risks for a movement that, once again, is engaged in an armed struggle against its occupier.

That is why the Progressive International is returning to the Sahrawi refugee camps, this time with a concrete goal: to help the Sahrawi national liberation movement strengthen its digital security capacities.

Throughout January, together with a team of experts led by Emeritus Council member Harry Halpin, the Progressive International plans several visits to the camps. Our mission is simple: to train the Sahrawi national liberation movement on digital security best practices, to diagnose any vulnerabilities, and to prepare countermeasures to the threats that plague the Sahrawi people each day.

To learn more about our campaign of solidarity with the people of Western Sahara, and to sign up for updates, you can visit our campaign page.

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No holidays amid a genocide

As billions around the world celebrated Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the Israeli regime’s genocidal war on Gaza continued without pause.

On Christmas Eve alone, occupation forces killed 146 Palestinian children, and the barrage has continued.

As the invading army continues to find little by way of strategic success on the battlefield, Benjamin Netanyahu has now promised that the genocidal siege will continue for months. Now, four out of every five people in the world classified as being in a “catastrophic type of hunger” is in Gaza.

Actions against the genocide did not stop, either. On 21 December, a global coalition of movements launched the first Global Day of Action Against Elbit Systems — the first coordinated wave of action against Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, its subsidiaries, its partners, and its financiers.

Protests for Palestine continued throughout Christmas and New Year’s, including as part of the Shut It Down for Palestine campaign co-organized by PI Member the Palestinian Youth Movement.

In a historic move, South Africa invoked the Genocide Convention against Israel. Now, hundreds of organizations including the Progressive International, are preparing to put their weight behind South Africa.

Art: Mothanna Hussein is a Palestinian-Jordanian designer living in Amman. He works extensively with digital graphics, including 3D models and animations. Here, the red triangle draws from the symbol, now ubiquitous, found in videos of guerrilla warfare published by the Palestinian resistance. You can view Hussein’s work on Instagram.