Mahfouda
Bamba Lefkire

Background and Work

Mahfouda Bamba Lefkire is a human rights defender in El Ayoun, the largest city in Western Sahara, a territory whose sovereignty remains disputed and which has been under Moroccan control since 1975. She is a member of the Gdeim Izik Peaceful Movement, a network formed after the violent dismantling of a protest camp in 2010 that left Sahrawi demonstrators dead and dozens imprisoned.

Her human rights activities centre on advocacy for self-determination and support for the families of Sahrawi political prisoners. She participates in peaceful demonstrations and organises workshops to provide emotional, material, and strategic support to relatives of those detained. Her work is embedded in the fabric of the El Ayoun human rights community, and her home has served as a meeting point for defenders planning solidarity actions.

The Assault of 25 September 2021

On the afternoon of 25 September 2021, Mahfouda planned to host members of the Gdeim Izik Peaceful Movement at her residence at 3 PM. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss support for Sultana Khaya, another woman human rights defender who had been under de facto house arrest since November 2020.

At approximately 2:45 PM, Moroccan police officers in both official uniforms and plainclothes surrounded Mahfouda's home and blocked the roads leading to it. As members of the Movement arrived, officers dragged them, beat them, and forcibly prevented them from entering. At 5 PM, Mahfouda herself attempted to help a colleague enter her home. Officers dragged her and her colleague, beat both of them, and barred them from the entrance.

Her daughter began filming the assault. Officers attacked her and destroyed her mobile phone. Mahfouda's husband was also physically attacked during the incident.

Threats, Property Damage, and Ongoing Intimidation

After the assault, Mahfouda confronted the officers at the scene. In response, they damaged and removed the electricity box mounted outside her home, cutting off power to her residence. Officers then physically carried Mahfouda and forced her back inside the house.

One officer threatened her directly, stating that they had informants living in her building and warning that the next time she would be carried out of the building dead. At 9 PM that evening, her door was kicked in. Her broken mobile phone and the destroyed electricity box were thrown inside. She was left without electricity.

Pattern of Harassment and Reprisal

The assault on 25 September 2021 was neither isolated nor unprecedented. Mahfouda has been subjected to harassment by Moroccan authorities repeatedly as a result of her human rights work. She has been physically and verbally abused on multiple occasions during her participation in peaceful demonstrations.

On 15 November 2019, she was arrested at the El Ayoun court during the trial of her cousin, after speaking out about the treatment of Sahrawi prisoners. On 27 November 2019 the Laayoune Court of First Instance sentenced her to six months in prison for obstruction of justice and insulting a public official, and the sentence was upheld on appeal on 12 December 2019. After the arrest, her monthly welfare payments were cut off. On 15 May 2020, she was released after serving her sentence, and security forces were then stationed permanently outside her home. Access to her residence by relatives and friends has been restricted since her release. She and her family have been threatened with harm on multiple occasions. In September 2020 an online article spread defamatory claims about her, in November 2020 police surrounded her home and barred the family from leaving, and in January 2021 an officer stopped and questioned her daughter. In March 2025 police assaulted her again after a protest in Laayoune.

Context: Repression of Sahrawi Defenders

Mahfouda Bamba Lefkire's case is part of a broader pattern of repression targeting Sahrawi human rights defenders in Western Sahara. Defenders advocating for self-determination, documenting abuses, or supporting political prisoners face systematic harassment, surveillance, detention, and violence. The targeting of women defenders in particular has included gender-based violence, home invasions, and sustained intimidation campaigns designed to isolate them from their communities and silence their advocacy.

Mahfouda is targeted because of her peaceful and legitimate human rights activities. Her work supporting families, organising collective action, and documenting violations places her in direct confrontation with authorities who seek to suppress dissent and maintain control through fear.