Laaroussien


The Laaroussien is a Sahrawi tribe traditionally migrating within the region that is today the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Their migratory routes stretched from El Aaiún down towards Dakhla, [Western Sahara|Dakhla], parallel to the coast of the territory. Like all Sahrawis, they are Sunni Muslims of the Maliki madhhab.

Origins

They hold the status as a Chorfa tribe, i.e. claiming descent from the Prophet Muhammad. Their tribal ancestor, the famous Sidi Ahmed Al Aroussi, descends from the Beni Arrous tribe neat Larache and comes from a lineage of the Alami religious order founded by Abu Bakr al-Alami al-Idrissi and Abd as-Salam ibn Mashish al-Alami. He was claimed to have performed miracles: according to tribal lore, he was lifted to safety by angels, after having once been captured - for unclear reasons - by the Sultan of Morocco.

Population today

Laaroussien Sahrawis are present both in the Tindouf refugee camps of Algeria, headquarters of the nationalist and independence-seeking Polisario Front, and in their traditional home areas of Western Sahara; these are situated west of the Moroccan Wall, and thus under Moroccan rule. Few members of the Laaroussien live in neighbouring Mauritania; they are not a transfrontier tribe, traditionally, although, as an exception to the rule, a former President of Mauritania, Col. Mohamed Khouna Ould Heidallah, is Laaroussien - he is born in or near the border region of Ras Nouadhibou, either in Mauritania or what was then Spanish Sahara.

Notable Laarousis