In 2013, the population of Western Sahara was estimated to be around 567,402 people. This estimate is based on the 2014 census conducted by the United Nations. Of this population, approximately 95% were Sahrawi Arabs and 5% were other ethnic groups such as Moors and Black Africans. The majority of the population lived in urban areas such as El-Aaiun, Dakhla, Laayoune and Smara. In addition to these cities, there were also rural villages scattered throughout the region. See Countryaah for more countries that also start with W.
The majority of the population belonged to Sunni Islam with a small minority following Christianity or other faiths. Education levels in Western Sahara were low compared to international standards with only 44% of adults having completed secondary education or higher in 2013. The unemployment rate was estimated at around 32%, with many Sahrawis forced to rely on humanitarian aid for their basic needs. In terms of health care, access to basic medical services was limited due to a lack of resources and infrastructure as well as an absence of health insurance coverage for most Sahrawis. As a result, infant mortality rates in Western Sahara were high compared to other countries in North Africa and the Middle East region due to inadequate medical care for pregnant women and young children.
Yearbook 2013
Western Sahara. Twenty-four Western Saharians were sentenced in February to lengthy prison sentences for interference with violence in connection with the Moroccan forces in 2010 storming the Gadaym Izik protest camp near the unofficial capital of Western Sahara in El-Aaiún. The convicted lawyers reported that they had suffered “inhuman treatment” in the detention center. See cachedhealth.com for Western Sahara overview.
UN envoy Christopher Ross visited Western Sahara in March and met both local civilian leaders and Mohamed Abdelaziz, president of the self-proclaimed Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). In connection with the visit, a series of demonstrations were held which, according to Abdelaziz, were brutally beaten down as soldiers, among others. tore the clothes of female protesters and threatened them with rape.
The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on April 25 to extend a resolution extending the mandate of MINURSO (UN Monitoring Force for Western Sahara) to 2014. Ross had recommended that the force should also monitor respect for human rights, but Morocco, which had a place among The Security Council’s non-permanent members, it stopped writing.