Morocco says jailed Western Sahara activist has ended hunger strike

A jailed Western Sahara independence activist ended his hunger strike after 46 days, Morocco's prison service said, citing a written notification from the inmate.

Naama Asfari is serving a 30-year prison sentence in connection with deadly violence in Western Sahara in 2010. He began the hunger strike on June 8 to demand his freedom.

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights had said on Tuesday that Asfari was in a critical situation. Morocco's DGAPR prison service said Asfari submitted a handwritten notice on the morning of July 24 announcing the end of his hunger strike.

The prison service said his vital signs were checked that morning and found to be normal. It said he would receive medical follow-up. The DGAPR had said on Thursday that Asfari's condition was stable.

Asfari was among 23 Sahrawi activists convicted over the deaths of 11 Moroccan security personnel during clashes in 2010 after authorities dismantled the Gdim Izik protest camp near Laayoune, the largest city in disputed Western Sahara. The group was first tried by a military court in 2013 and then by a civilian court in 2017.

International rights groups criticised the proceedings as unfair, a claim Morocco rejected.

Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony, has been largely controlled by Morocco since 1975. The United Nations considers it a non-self-governing territory. Morocco has long been in conflict with the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, which seeks independence for the Sahrawi people.

In October, UN Security Council members voted in favour of a US-backed resolution saying Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara was the most feasible solution for the disputed territory.