HIBAPRESS – Mohamed Zariouh
In an intellectual atmosphere characterized by interest, calm discussion, and heated questions, the capital Rabat recently hosted the signing ceremony of a book by the Algerian opposition figure Anouar Malek, entitled "Polisario and Iran: Secrets of Terrorism from Tehran to Tindouf," in the presence of a select group of intellectuals, researchers, and political actors. This gathering seemed more like a collective reflection on a complex history, a turbulent present, and a future open to various possibilities.
The book, which analyzed the Polisario Front's relations with Iran and their ideological and security backgrounds, and sought to dismantle the hidden structures of the relationship that connects Tehran to Tindouf, passing through support and training networks, and ending with the repercussions on the region's security and stability, was distinguished by dedicating a long chapter to the martyr Mujahid Mohand El Khadir El Hamouti, in a remarkable gesture towards one of the Maghreb faces that remained in the shadows despite their centrality in the history of the liberation struggle in North Africa. Anouar Malek highlights in this chapter the biography of the Moroccan resistance fighter Mohand El Khadir El Hamouti, a descendant of the town of "Beni Ansar" in the Nador region, as a model of the activist who believed in the unity of destiny between the peoples of the Greater Maghreb, and made supporting the Algerian revolution a personal cause; so that the writer documented, with facts and data, how El Hamouti devoted his life and resources to supporting the Algerian revolution, by providing financial support, smuggling weapons, and opening the doors of his home to the resistance fighters and Mujahideen and direct communication with the leaders of the National Liberation Front, in one of the most delicate stages of the struggle against French colonialism. The book indicates that the martyr El Hamouti continued his support for the revolution with determination and steadfastness, regardless of the risks and threats, and remained faithful to his convictions until the evacuation of French colonialism from Algeria, thus embodying the meaning of genuine Maghreb solidarity, based on action and sacrifice, not slogans. Allocating this important space to the biography of Mohand El Khadir El Hamouti, within a book that addresses issues of terrorism and the political exploitation of conflicts, carries a clear indication of the distinction between an original liberation struggle based on the values of freedom and unity, and subsequent practices that deviated from those values. Thus, Anouar Malek does not just reveal the threads of the present, but also reinstates the men who made the history of liberation in silence, foremost among them the martyr Mujahid Mohand El Khadir El Hamouti.
