Moroccan Army deserter Abdelilahou Issou to Echorouk: “The ceasefire saved the Moroccan Army from debacle at the hands of the Polisario Front fighters”
Former Moroccan officer, Abdelilahou Issou, gave an exclusive interview to Echorouk in which he relates how he was brought to desert from the ranks of the Makhzen's Army following the war with the Polisario Front in Moroccan occupied Western Sahara.
- Abdelilahou Issou was a Moroccan Army officer who had served in occupied Western Sahara and who had witnessed the armed conflict against the Polisario Front.
- He has been living in the Spanish capital Madrid as a political refugee since his flight from his country in January 2002. He has been tracked down mercilessly by the Makhzen’s intelligence services for several years now.
- These services who have attempted to kidnap him in Spain, have falsely accused him of spying activities at the service of Spain.
- Abdelilahou Issou was born on June 8th 1965 in Tetouan in northern Morocco.
- In this interview, the first ever granted to an Arab newspaper, he unveils to Echorouk’s readers several dirty affairs implicating the Moroccan Army in relation with occupied Western Sahara, drugs’ trafficking and human rights’ violations.
- Anouar Malek : What prompted you to join the Moroccan Army?
- Abdelilahou Issou : In the aftermath of the horrendous massacres committed by the Moroccan Army in January 1984 in Tetouan and other cities to repress a popular general strike, I decided to join the Moroccan military Academy with the aim of trying to alter the situation from the inside.
- At that time, I thought that there were some “noble” persons who could help change this damaging course of events.
- I got out from the military Academy in September 1988 with the rank of second lieutenant and I was then assigned to join the Infantry.
- I want for that purpose to point to an important detail.
- My father was a close friend of late General El Hadj Abdeslem Ben Omar also called Nigra. The latter gave me a recommendation litter to his erstwhile friend General Abdelnabi Brital who was the head of the Moroccan Military Academy at that time with the aim of designating me to a rewarding position within the Army corps.
- But I should emphasize that I decided not to convey to him this letter after all because it was contrary to my principles as I wanted to forge ahead only on my own merits.
- “The ceasefire pact saved the Moroccan Army from a looming debacle at the hands of the Polisario Front fighters”.
- Anouar Malek : You served in occupied Western Sahara as a Moroccan Army officer, could tell us about the events you witnessed there?
- Abdelilahou Issou : First, I had the rank of second lieutenant, then lieutenant and afterwards I was designated head of section, then head of an Infantry Company.
- The infantry units in Western Sahara are divided into two parts. The first part is based at the level of the security belt set up under the supervision of Israeli military experts on a length of 2.700 km.
- The Infantry Company is divided into several sections. Between the sections, there were always uncontrolled spaces but they were littered with landmines and fenced with barded wire.
- However, this tight military apparatus did not prevent the surging commandos of the Polisario Front to infiltrate into these high-security zones.
- The Moroccan military units based on the security belt used to pull back in disarray and to flee during the major attacks as they had no adequate military means to face up to the rolling tanks of the Polisario Front fighters.
- As head of section, I succeeded in thwarting several infiltrations by units of the Polisario Front’s commandos between 1988 and 1990.
- In spite of all my military feats, I was downsized and never congratulated by my superior officers who pompously harbour on their chests a lot of military medals despite the fact that they have never set their feet on the soil of Western Sahara. That’s the “bitter truth”.