Historical Narratives of Enduring Dispute over Western Sahara Reveal Persistent Differences, as Fourth Committee Hears from Petitioners
The situation in Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa, took centre stage today in the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) as petitioners from both sides shared conflicting accounts of the human rights situation in the Territory.
Sidi Mohamed Omar, representative of the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguía el-Hamra y de Río de Oro (Frente POLISARIO), recalled the 4 October ruling of the European Court of Justice, which stated that the European Commission had breached the right of people in Western Sahara to self-determination and to permanent sovereignty over their natural resources by concluding trade deals with Morocco. He called this decision “a historic victory for the Sahrawi people and their legitimate struggle for self-determination and independence,” marking it as a triumph of justice over power politics.
Urging Member States and European institutions to respect the ruling and avoid actions, “symbolic or otherwise”, that might further entrench Morocco’s illegal occupation of Western Sahara, he stressed that countries should “be on the right side of history”. Referring to his meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, he reaffirmed that the Sahrawi people will persist in their fight for self-determination and independence by all legitimate means.
Also citing the recent ruling of the European Union Court of Justice, Jose Revert Calabuig, Observatorio de Ddhh de Castilla-La Mancha para el Sáhara Occidental, emphasized that “Western Sahara is not a Moroccan territory”. He said that “Morocco, with its policies and practices, is violating the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara because it is acquiring the Territory by force”. Noting Morocco’s continued building of illegal settlements in Western Sahara, he described them as war crimes in accordance with the Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions. He reminded Member States of their duty to not recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara and urged them to avoid conventional relations with Rabat that would support its illegal occupation.
Voicing concern about the mental health of the Sahrawi children, Martha Esther Guerra Muñoz, Universidad Popular del Cesar, said that “they are growing up in the midst of a conflict that they did not seek”. These children have had to endure “the erroneous and inhumane decisions of adults who have not understood the invaluable nature of life and the need to respect the rights of human beings,” she stressed. Highlighting the trauma these children face, she called for more investment in mental health programmes for Sahrawi children and the deployment of specialized researchers to assess and address their needs.
Urging action to speed up work through the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to achieve a negotiated peace, she stressed the importance of accelerating the decolonization process guaranteeing the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. “We cannot allow this generation to grow up trapped in trauma and fear,” she stressed.
Several petitioners from the Canary Islands spoke today, voicing their support for the people of Western Sahara. Ines Miranda Navarro, Cabildo Insular de Gran Canaria, describing the pillaging of natural resources from the Territory by Morocco as a form of “green colonization”, emphasized that any use of these resources requires the consent of the Sahrawi people. Concerned about the relocation of the Moroccan citizens to the Territory and the continued capture of the Sahrawi political prisoners in the Moroccan prisons, she condemned “the silence” of the international community regarding these violations, which contribute to instability in North Africa, reaching the Canary Islands.
Sol Fortea Sevilla, Fundación Canaria de Apoyo a los Trastornos del Neurodesarrollo (FUNTEAC), said that all 30 human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are violated daily in Western Sahara. Reclaiming these rights could be achieved by holding a self-determination referendum as has been proposed by the United Nations for over 50 years. Questioning Morocco’s fear of such a referendum, she criticized Rabat’s refusal to allow the UN Commissioner for Human Rights to visit the occupied territories since 2015.
Detailing the widespread human rights violations occurring in Western Sahara, including intimidation, disappearances, imprisonment and discrimination, she noted that women, children, people with disabilities and social minorities are especially vulnerable to these abuses. Furthermore, the education system in the occupied territory reflects “inequality, discrimination and repression,” with Sahrawi students’ identities regularly attacked.
However, several speakers countered this narrative, with Moulay Brahim Chrif of Commune d’Es-Semara underscoring that “the crocodile tears” being shed “do not apply to us”. He asked them to listen to their conscience and reflect on what would best serve their interests and “the interest of our homeland, first and foremost, because this great homeland Morocco is what will bring us all together”. Noting that he became the Head of the Council of Es-Semara through “free and fair elections where Sahrawi voters participated in record-breaking numbers,” he said this has given him the legitimacy to represent the residents of the Moroccan Sahara at the UN.
He added that Morocco’s autonomy plan is an opportunity to leave behind the painful past and turn over a new leaf, he said, adding that it grants the residents of the territory important privileges that will allow them to manage their own affairs. This is “a peaceful and democratic solution”, which will let Moroccan Sahara manage its own resources with due respect for the idiosyncrasies of the region and for Morocco’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Also addressing the Committee was Hormatollah Erragheb, of Commune de Dakhla, who said he was elected the Mayor of Dakhla, in free elections with very high rates of participation. Underscoring the distinction between “true Sahrawis” and “pseudo-Sahrawis”, he said “the Frente POLISARIO does not represent me” or the people who elected him. The true representatives of the Sahrawi are those who are transparently elected by the true people of the Sahara, he said, stressing: “The others only represent themselves.”
Along similar lines, Leila Dahi said the progress in the Moroccan Sahara over the past five years has “surprised the foes of Morocco” and is “exposing their miserable nature”. Highlighting Morocco’s strong diplomatic efforts to maintain its territorial integrity, she said, as a result, many major countries, from Germany to Cyprus to Denmark, “had to review their positions and exit the grey zone” by explicitly recognizing the Moroccan identity of the Sahara. Further, 30 States, including many African States, have expressed their support for the territorial integrity of Morocco by establishing consulates in the territory. “The African continent explicitly rejects the invasive species of the fictional Sahrawi Republic that was imposed on it in the 1980s as a result of pressure and bribes and frauds,” she stressed.
Vivian Eads of Capitol Hill Prayer Partners, also commending Morocco’s autonomy plan, highlighted the situation of youth in the Tindouf camps and the lack of options for their future. The changing geopolitical situation in and around the camps affects regional security, she said, adding that Frente POLISARIO’s continued collaboration with rogue gangs means that the region is becoming a magnet for leaders with destabilization agendas. She called for comprehensive data collection on those who live in the Tindouf camps and said the lack of information on how many people need and receive humanitarian aid is “a puzzle that places a doubtful cloud” over the resolution of this issue.
Several speakers expressed concern about the education in Tindouf camps, among them Michelle Mason, who said the UN must “defend the children” there. Frente POLISARIO is an epicentre of child soldier training. It also uses children as human shields. It takes time to groom children to fight in a war, she said, adding that teachers and adult mentors drum hate into their minds over the years of schooling. They make children see themselves as victims of Morocco. The international community must not remain silent while children are taught victimhood. Morocco’s autonomy plan must be implemented soon, she said, noting that the country has infrastructure in place to help children settle into normalcy quickly.
The Fourth Committee also heard from Russel Christopher, a petitioner on the United States Virgin Islands, who said the Territory is currently in the early stages of developing a constitution that speaks to their human rights and their quest for self-determination. The deliberate manipulation and interference of the colonizer working with the local Government has resulted in “a corruption that has put the Virgin Islands in an embarrassing state of being referred to as paedophile islands,” due to rampant sex trafficking. The economic outlook is grim because the Territory’s Government seeks to deepen its dependency on the colonizer, which in turn, controls the natural and financial resources. Highlighting the administering Power’s practice of encouraging the Islands’ Government to be fiscally and fiduciary irresponsible, he said such actions are hindering the Territory in its efforts to achieve self-determination.
During the meeting, the representative of Morocco took the floor several times to raise points of order, requesting the Chair to ask the petitioners to focus on the issue of Western Sahara directly and to speak with respect for her country’s symbols and institutions. Algeria’s delegate also raised a point of order today.