Western Sahara - still illegally occupied after almost 30 years

Brief Biography of Fatima Mahfud.

Fatima Mahfud has been a refugee since she was 9 years old as a result of the Moroccan invasion and occupation of her homeland in 1975. She is one of the few, but growing number of Saharawi women, who is internationally championing the cause of her people's right to self determination in Western Sahara. Fatima studied Psychology at the university in Cuba and has worked on the diplomatic front in Spain, Switzerland and Scandinavia. She is now an official representative of the Polisario Front (the liberation movement of Western Sahara) in Rome and is an active member of the National Union of Saharawi Women in the refugee camps, in SW Algeria. As a Muslim with nomadic roots, she represents a generation of remarkable women who are forging a new, dynamic role and identity within the Saharawi society. She is fluent in Arabic, Spanish, Italian and English.