Lacksana Returns
by Lorin Peters Jun 3, 2022
Sultana Khaya, the leader of the Western Sahara independence movement, has been horrendously abused by the Moroccan Occupying Forces – electricity turned off, windows broken, furniture stolen or smashed, water poisoned, confined to her home, beaten savagely, injected with unknown chemicals, raped and sodomized repeatedly, unable to seek medical care for 18 months. Our friend of 30 of years, Wynd Kaufmyn, wanted to get into Sultana’s home to offer unarmed civilian protection (UCP). Now one of the cardinal rules of peacemaking is never travel or work alone. But Wynd had no one to go with her into West Sahara.
As soon as Lacksana heard that Wynd needed a companion, she volunteered, “I will go with her.” I emailed Wynd. Wynd immediately called Lacksana, “Are you serious?!” “Yes.” When I walked into the house that evening, Lacksana said, “I’m going next week. Wynd already bought my tickets.” I wrote to all, “I beg your prayers for their safe travels and safe interactions with friends and foes alike.”
So I dropped them at the Oakland airport on Thursday May 19 at 3 am and hugged them “Good bye.” They spent two days in Washington, DC, meeting and socializing with Michael Beer, who initiated this UCP team, and living with Salka and Najat, Sahrawis (West Saharans) who liaise and coordinate our team with their independence movement.
Then they flew though Lisbon, Portugal, and on to Casablanca, Morocco, arriving Sunday morning. They had to wait ‘til Monday morning for their meeting with Amanda at the US Embassy in Rabat about their plan to protect Sultana. But Amanda did not show up on Monday. So they decided to head for West Sahara on May 23, a day earlier than planned, and rushed the two hours back to the Casablanca airport.
After their plane landed in Laayoune, West Sahara, as they walked across the tarmac, Lacksana said, “Those four men ahead seem to be watching us.” Adrienne Kinne, who had joined Wynd and Lacksana in Casablanca, said, “No, I don’t think so.” After Lacksana had her passport checked, she was directed into a separate sitting room. Pretty soon Wynd and Adrienne, but no one else, were directed to join Lacksana. But those two were still in denial.
Four Moroccan women were assigned to the room, apparently to watch them. After a while someone took their photographs from outside the room. After half an hour, they were tested for covid. Thankfully, they were all negative. After another half an hour, Lacksana told one of the Moroccan women, “It’s 7 pm. I’m hungry.” In another 20 minutes, they were each given a lunch bag with a sandwich and some water.
When they were asked why they had come, Wynd said, “We have come to visit our friend in Boujdour.” “No, you are political activists coming to make trouble.”
“No, we’re human rights defenders. Why are you accusing us of being political troublemakers?” “Because we have this picture of Adrienne standing with Sahrawi protesters on Sultana’s rooftop.”
Yes, Adrienne was part of the first team that had gotten into the Khaya home in Boujdour. This raises the question of how UCP teams position themselves – partisan, or neutral even in the face of extreme abuse? The airport confrontation continued for five hours.
According to the press release we issued on May 26, “Twelve men and six women Moroccan agents physically overpowered them and placed them against their will on a plane back to Casablanca. During the scuffle, one of the women’s shirt and bra were pulled up to expose her breasts. In the cultural context of the passengers on the plane, this was a serious form of harassment and violence against women.
“Wynd Kaufmyn said of her treatment by the Moroccan forces, “We refused to cooperate with their illegal actions. I repeatedly shouted out on the departing airplane that I wanted to go to Boujdour to visit Sultana Khaya, who has endured torture and rape at the hands of Moroccan agents.”
“Adrienne Kinne said, “We were not told the legal basis for our detention or deportation though we asked repeatedly. I believe this was due to our detention and deportation being a violation of international human rights law.” Kinne further expressed dismay, “I am sorry that the female officers were put in a position by their male superiors to restrain us. This is another example of pitting women against women to serve the egos of men in power.
“Lacksana Peters said, “I have never been to Morocco or Western Sahara before. This kind of treatment leads me to think that we should boycott Morocco and double-down on efforts to visit Western Sahara. The Moroccans must be hiding something.” (end of press release)
For the flight back to Casablanca, two female officers sat with each of the deportees, one on each side. They assumed they would be arrested after the return flight. But nothing was said. They simply walked out of the airport, and back to the same hotel. The next morning, Tuesday, they returned to the US Embassy. This time, three officials showed up - Amanda, David Fisher and a third officer. “We heard about what happened in Laayoune.” But after 40 minutes of conversation, Wynd and Adrienne were still dissatisfied.
Our reaction to the deportation was fear for Sultana’s life. Moroccan agents had already threatened worse abuse once the American citizens have left her house. But the Sahrawi leadership had realized from the beginning that her medical condition is very precarious and that she needed to get into Europe for extensive diagnosis and treatment. So they had gotten her a passport and visa.
On Monday May 30, Sultana gave a farewell speech, via her rooftop public address system (that apparently had been her primary means of communicating, bypassing the secret police surrounding her home) to her neighbors and comrades in the independence struggle. Then she and Ruth McDonough and Tim Pluta, the two Americans living with her, were driven to a safe house in Laayoune. On Wednesday June 1, the three of them flew from Laayoune to the Canary Islands, where a thousand Sahrawi exiles and Spanish admirers gave her a tumultuous welcome.
Meanwhile, Lacksana, Wynd and Adrienne flew back to JFK Airport in New York. On Friday May 27 they held a small protest of US policy on West Sahara in front of the White House. But After 15 minutes, they were drenched in a summer downpour and had to abort their protest. They spent their last three days together back home with Salfa and Najat, who treated them like long-lost cousins. By the time Lacksana arrived home in San Leandro, she was wearing a beautiful Sahrawi dress and scarf.
Peace, blessings and love
Lorin