Rabat–A human rights activist, Galia Djimi, told the AP Moroccan soldiers and police are patrolling the streets of Western Sahara's capital Laayoune in the wake of unrest on Monday that officials claim left seven people dead.
The riots were triggered by a police raid aimed at dismantling a huge tent camp set up by a local tribe pressing for better living conditions in the vast desert territory claimed by Morocco. But the city is now largely calm, Djimi said.
Djimi told AP most Saharawis, the tribe members, were staying in their homes Tuesday because of the heavy military and police presence in the capital.
Morocco's official news agency MAP says five members of the Moroccan security forces were killed Monday. The pro-independence Polisario Front says two demonstrators died in Laayoune.
