Agounit

Agwanit أغوانيت Agüenit Aghoueinit or Aghouinite
Rural commune or Daerah
Agwanit Location in Western Sahara
Coordinates: 22°11′0″N 13°7′59″W
UN Non-Self-Governing Territory	Western Sahara
Claimed by	Morocco
Controlled by	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Government
• Type	Municipality
Area
• Total	17.66 km^2 (6.82 sq mi)
Elevation	306 m (1,004 ft)
Population  (2004)
• Total	222
• Density	13/km^2 (33/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC±00:00 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01:00 (WEST)

Agounit (also transliterated Aghouinite, Aghounit, Aghoueinit, Agueinit, Agwenit, Agwanit, Agüenit, Aguanit; Arabic: أغوانيت) is a small town or village in the Río de Oro area of the disputed territory of Western Sahara. It is situated in the Polisario Front-held Free Zone of Western Sahara, under the jurisdiction of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and near the Mauritanian border, 72 km. south-west from Fderik. It is claimed by Morocco as a rural commune in the Aousserd Province in the region of Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab. At the time of the 2004 census, the commune had a total population of 222 people living in 43 households.[1] It has a hospital, a school and a mosque. It is the head of the 7th military region of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

It is also the name of a daïra of the wilaya of Auserd, in the Sahrawi refugee camps.

Infrastructure

On June 7, 2006, and during the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the "Day of the Martyr" (commemorating the death in combat of El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed, first president of the SADR), Mohamed Abdelaziz (president of the SADR) inaugurated a hospital (built up with help from the Basque country government), a desalination centre (built with the help of Andalusia government), a school and the Mayoralty of Agwenit.[2]

Politics

In May 2000, the Polisario Front celebrated the 27th anniversary of the beginning of their armed struggle with a military parade in Agounit.[3]

In June 2006 (during the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the "Day of the Martyr") the town was the host of the annual conference of the Sahrawi communities abroad (Sahrawi diaspora).[4]

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Agounit is twinned with:

• Amurrio, Álava, Basque Country, Spain[5]
• Busturia, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain[6]
• Campiglia Marittima, Livorno, Tuscany, Italy[7]
• Gatika, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain[8]
• Lapuebla de Labarca, Álava, Basque Country, Spain[9]
• Mallabia, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain[10]
• Motril, Granada, Andalucía, Spain
• Poggio a Caiano, Prato, Tuscany, Italy[11]
• Ponsacco, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy[7]
• Portoferraio, Livorno, Tuscany, Italy (since November 8, 2004)[7][12]
• Puçol, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (since September 1, 2002)
• Quarrata, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy[7]
• Rignano sull'Arno, Florence, Tuscany, Italy[7]
• Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain (since 1995)[13]

References

1. "Recensement général de la population et de l'habitat de 2004" (PDF). Haut-commissariat au Plan, Lavieeco.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
2. "Inauguration of many social projects in Aghoueinit". SPS. 11 June 2006. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
3. "Il n'y a pas d'autre alternative a l'Independance du peuple Sahraoui, declare le President Mohamed Abdelaziz" (in French). SPS. 2000-05-21. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
4. "Opening of the annual conference of the Saharawi communities abroad". SPS. 8 June 2006. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
5. "Aytº de Amurrio (Álava)" (in Spanish). Euskal Fondoa. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
6. "Aytº de Busturia (Bizkaia)" (in Spanish). Euskal Fondoa. Retrieved 2013-02-14.^[permanent dead link‍]
7. Gemellaggi e Patti di Amicizia^[permanent dead link‍] Regione Toscana - Consiglio Regionale, 27 March 2010 (in Italian)
8. "Aytº de Gatika (Bizkaia)" (in Spanish). Euskal Fondoa. Retrieved 2013-02-14.^[permanent dead link‍]
9. "Aytº de Lapuebla de Labarca (Álava)" (in Spanish). Euskal Fondoa. Archived from the original on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
10. "Aytº de Mallabia (Bizkaia)" (in Spanish). Euskal Fondoa. Retrieved 2013-02-14.^[permanent dead link‍]
11. Solidarietà per il Popolo Saharawi Archived 2011-09-26 at the Wayback Machine Comune.poggio-a-caiano.po.it (in Italian)
12. PATTO DI AMICIZIA CON LA TENDOPOLI DI AGUENIT NELLA REPUBBLICA ARABA DEMOCRATICA SAHARAWI Archived 2024-05-16 at the Wayback Machine Comune.portoferraio.li.it, 2 August 2004 (in Italian)
13. Amigos del Pueblo Saharaui Archived April 12, 2013, at archive.today Trescantos.es (in Spanish)

External links

• 1970's black and white photos of the Spanish hospital in Agüenit