More Petitioners Present Their Arguments before Fourth Committee, Focusing on Situations in New Caledonia, Western Sahara

Petitioners on New Caledonia and Western Sahara addressed the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today, putting forth contesting perspectives of how the people of those Non-Self-Governing Territories can best achieve self-determination.

Almost two years after the third and final referendum provided for by the Nouméa Accord — a vote that was boycotted by many in New Caledonia and resulted in a majority vote in favour of the Territory remaining a part of France — the South Pacific archipelago remains divided over the question of independence.

Magalie Tingal of the Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) said that France is progressively stamping out the Territory’s hopes for independence.  She noted that the 12 December 2021 referendum took place amidst the COVID‑19 pandemic, a time of grieving for New Caledonians, making it an act of deliberate sabotage.  She also denounced a “theatrical visit” to the Territory by Emmanuel Macron, President of France, in July and the condescending tone in which he talked about the independence of its people.  France is practicing recolonization without admitting it, she added.

In the same vein, Roch Wamytan, President of the Congress of New Caledonia, said that more than 50 per cent of the population — including a majority of the indigenous Kanak people — did not cast ballots in the third referendum.  He disagreed with President Macron’s statement that New Caledonia will remain French because New Caledonians decided so, and called for a peaceful decolonization instead of a “triumphant neocolonialism, based on the 2021 referendum”.

Amandine Darras of Union Calédonienne underscored the importance of respecting the rights of the Kanak people of the archipelago.  New Caledonians must have the opportunity to spearhead solutions to their problems, work with other countries in the region and use their traditional knowledge.  Expressing concern about the forced displacement of indigenous people, she said that social emancipation — a goal of the 1998 Nouméa Accord — has not been achieved.

Naïa Wateou, speaking on behalf of political parties in New Caledonia that reject independence, said that the three referendums confirmed the will of the majority of New Caledonians.  They rejected the independence project and do not want anything imposed on them.  Stressing that the future of the Territory must be decided together, she pointed to inequalities, especially in the north of the islands, due to an unfavourable distribution of resources.

Offering a youth perspective, Karyl Trenyiwa of Les Loyalistes said that the concept of decolonization did not resonate with him as a 20-year-old living in New Caledonia.  The sole purpose of the referendum boycott was to deny the Kanaks the right to speak their voice, he said, adding:  “We were there proudly displaying our values, which make us the Kanaks and also French.”  He praised the partnership between France and New Caledonia, especially in addressing challenges like land erosion and preservation of cultural memory.

For a second day, the Committee heard impassioned statements from petitioners on the question of Western Sahara, where a long-running dispute between Morocco and the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguía el-Hamra y Rio de Oro (Frente POLISARIO) and the lack of an effective ceasefire threatens regional stability, according to the Secretary-General’s latest report on the Territory (document A/78/249).

Limam Boussif Hammou, President of the Regional Association of Youth Pioneering in Economics and Politics in Dakhla Oued Eddahab, said that accelerated economic development and investments in modern infrastructure have brought prosperity to the Sahrawis.  “Visitors of our southern provinces are fascinated by the developmental progress and the emergence of our regions as modern cities,” he said, crediting this stability to “our return to the homeland — Morocco”.

Others expressed concern at the situation in the Tindouf refugee camps in Algeria, with lawyer Sherry Erb urging the United Nations to audit the views of their inhabitants as well as their living conditions.  “They never realized the conflict would evolve into a 50-year nightmare,” she said, adding that the camps’ remote location is an asset to Frente POLISARIO.  “Why does the United Nations allow a military group to manage this camp?” she asked.

Jose Israel Herrera of the Autonomous University of Campeche, meanwhile, said that the continued use of children and teenagers as soldiers by Frente POLISARIO violates fundamental human rights principles.

Andrew Rosemarine, from International Law Chambers, called Morocco’s autonomy plan, unveiled in 2006, “fair, flexible and far-sighted” and thus the best practical solution to the conflict. It emphasizes self-determination and aims to build a modern democratic society.  Morocco can be trusted to deliver on its promises, he said, citing Morocco’s democratic elections, growing economy and commitment to local government.

“You will undoubtedly hear a number of speakers today extolling the merits of the autonomy proposal of Morocco,” countered Kathleen Thomas of Global Directives, who dismissed the blueprint as an attempt to maintain the status quo.  It may seem to give the Sahrawis significant control over local matters, she said, but the devil is in the details.  The Sahrawi might have control over local police, but Morocco would maintain its army in the Territory, while the Moroccan Constitutional Court would have final say over local tribunals, she argued.

Andrea Mezzetti of Rete Saharawi raised concerns that Morocco is illegally exploiting Western Sahara’s resources.  “It is no longer acceptable for the Sahrawi population, who have a legitimate claim to these resources, to be completely excluded and reliant on increasingly scarce international aid,” he added.  The presence of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), whose main objective is a self-determination referendum, must be justified and expanded with a human rights monitoring mandate, he added.

Morocco’s representative, on a point of order, once again requested the Committee Chair to ensure that petitioners do not attack his country’s institutions.  The representative of Algeria also took the floor.

The Fourth Committee will reconvene on Friday, 6 October, at 3 p.m. to hear additional petitioners on the question of Western Sahara before resuming its debate on decolonization.