Many people would likely accept that the protests arising in Tunisia during December 2010 sparked the beginning of the Arab Spring. However, what has received scarce media coverage is the Gdeim Izik camp protest that began in October 2010. The protest occurred on the outskirts of Al-`Ayun, the capital of Western Sahara. There, up to 12,000 Sahrawi people, according to a BBC report, formed a tent city protesting Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara, as well as, a lack of job opportunities and discrimination. This nonviolent demonstration was an unprecedented act and an unbelievable display of solidarity among the Sahrawi...
