Petitioners for Western Sahara Expose Inherent Policy Contradictions, Submit Divergent Views over Future, in Decolonization Committee
Peace, human rights and development in the Maghreb and Africa are at stake, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today as petitioners continued to testify about the historical and geopolitical issues critical to the question of Western Sahara.
“As I speak”, Sahrawi activists are being arrested, Mohammed Abbadi of the Freedomsun Organization for the Protection of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders said, noting protests by Sahrawi youth in Smara. The Moroccan occupation authorities have escalated their harassment and extortion to new levels recently, he said, recalling his journalist colleagues who were sentenced to 20 years each for defending the Sahrawi right to self-determination. Further, “Morocco’s so-called investments and infrastructure projects in Western Sahara are nothing more than attempts to legitimize its illegal occupation,” he said, adding that projects such as the Tiznit-Dakhla highway primarily serve to transport plundered Sahrawi resources to Moroccan cities for export to Europe.
Several speakers drew attention to the implications of this decolonization question on trade and natural resources ownership. Among them was Lorenzo Falchi, Mayor of Sesto Fiorentino in Italy which was the first European city to make a friendship pact with the exiled Sahrawi city of Mahbes in 1984. Citing the recent ruling issued by the European Court of Justice, he noted that the Court said the fisheries and trade agreement between the European Union and Morocco involving products from Western Sahara is illegal. Further, that ruling, which was confirmed after an appeals process, also called for the cessation of any activities related to that agreement within a year, he pointed out.
Ana Gomes, former member of the European Parliament, said that both Western Sahara and Timor-Leste were invaded by neighbours in 1975, just as their former colonial Powers were withdrawing. While Portugal organized a referendum that set the people of Timor-Leste free, Spain failed to speak up for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. During her time in the European Parliament, she witnessed Spain and France using their influence inside the European Union against the interests of the Sahrawi people, she said, adding that Morocco has also been using Israeli Pegasus technology to spy on European leaders. “I see the Security Council disgracefully failing to act, not just in Palestine and Ukraine, but also on Western Sahara,” she added.
Kathleen Thomas, who noted that she is a former official of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) responsible for legal issues, recalled that, in 2000, Morocco refused to let the referendum proceed because the Mission rejected thousands of unqualified applicants that the country wanted to get on the voters list. Morocco saw that the voters who were on the list would probably vote for independence, she said, adding that its autonomy proposal falls far short of granting true autonomy. “Considering Morocco’s past history, the Sahrawis would be fools to agree to its autonomy proposal,” she said.
“Why even call it the Mission of the UN to Organize a Referendum in Western Sahara,” when Morocco has declared it will not accept a referendum, Mohamed Ali Arkoukou of the Sahrawi Association of United States asked. In fact, the Mission’s presence in the occupied territories has helped Morocco pursue its settler colonialism and cultural appropriation, he said. Noting that the warplanes and weapons used to bomb Sahrawi camps in Oum Dreyga and El Farsia were supplied by the United States, France, and other UN Member States, he asked: “How can we, as Sahrawis, trust this body to help achieve the decolonization of Western Sahara, when the very presence of the UN in our land has only helped Morocco secure its occupation?”
Adrienne Kinne, who said that served in the United States army for 10 years, stressed that colonization is a form of violence. Describing her first visit to Western Sahara, during which she met with Sahrawi men, women and children who were assaulted, she said: “I saw the wounds, bruises and scars on the bodies of women.” When she attempted a second visit, she was stopped in the Laayoune airport and forced to return to Morocco. Calling for improved international oversight over Western Sahara, she said the erasure of Western Sahara from United States Government maps shows that her country is “on the wrong side of history”.
The Sahrawi people have the right to build their own future, Mahmoud Oublal of Sahrawi Trade Union, also known as UGTSARIO, said, condemning Morocco’s colonialist policies that thwart their hopes. He also denounced the genocide against the Palestinian people, in the Gaza Strip, and the aggression against the Lebanese people.
However, Mohammad Ziyad Aljabari of the Palestinian-Moroccan Friendship Society refused comparisons between the situation of Palestine and the situation in the Moroccan Sahara. Despite the UN’s call for a return to peaceful negotiations, it is Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguía el-Hamra y de Río de Oro (Frente POLISARIO) that “continues to perpetrate acts of aggression” and violate Security Council resolutions, undermining peace and security in the Sahara region, he said.
Several other speakers echoed this contrasting perspective, highlighting the role of Frente POLISARIO in perpetuating the conflict in Western Sahara as well as endangering regional security. They also welcomed Morocco’s autonomy proposal as a sustainable solution that would bring about development and peace in the entire region.
Mehmood Ur Rehman Anwar, of International Association of Engineers, said the separatism of the Frente POLISARIO is a major threat to sovereignty and territorial integrity in Africa and the Arab world. It has caused “untold misery and displacement for the Sahrawi people”, by opting for violence and instability, thereby impacting not only Morocco, but also the broader region. Separatist movements exploit local grievances and socioeconomic disparities, he said, adding that they resort to “armed conflicts, terrorism and human rights abuses”, which perpetuate poverty and despair. Calling on the international community to fight the scourge of separatism in Africa and the Arab world, he underscored the importance of addressing the root causes of conflicts, promoting dialogue and supporting legitimate Governments.
Abdul Basith Pattinathar K. Syedibrahim, of World Humanitarian Drive, citing his meeting with various Sahrawi tribes, said that many of them “identified themselves as strongly bonded” with Morocco. Noting that much of the international community is in favour of the Moroccan autonomy initiative, he criticized the Frente POLISARIO — a paramilitary group — for human rights violations and for keeping the Sahrawi population in “inhumane conditions” in the Tindouf camps. Highlighting Morocco’s significant investments in constructing extensive economic and communication infrastructure and in generating jobs for the Sahrawi people, he stated that “resolution of the Morocco Sahara issue would contribute to the security, stability and prosperity of the whole region” and would “defeat the rise of fundamentalism and extremism that feeds off grievances and poverty”.
Ismael Aboui Buchanan of University of Rwanda described Frente POLISARIO as a separatist movement in Africa with links to terrorist organizations. He noted that certain countries, particularly “the host country of the Tindouf camps”, are openly trying to divide the region and destabilize Morocco. More so, “the host country of the Tindouf camps” uses oil and gas profits to fund armed terrorist groups, contributing to the destabilization of the Sahel. Calling on the international community to be aware of the dangers posed by Frente POLISARIO to peace and security throughout the world, he described the recent decision of the European Court of Justice as “a grave error”.
Grace Njapau of Women Investment Network urged “the host country of the Tindouf camps” to bear political, legal and moral responsibility for seeking a firm solution to the regional dispute over Western Sahara. She highlighted growing international support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Territory, including the recent recognition by France. Describing the Moroccan autonomy initiative as “the only and unique” solution, she pointed out the deplorable situation of women and children in the “open air prison” of Tindouf camps and called for a quick resolution of the conflict that hinders the unity of the African continent.
“The Moroccan nature of the Sahara” cannot be disputed, said Rafael Jorge Esparza Machin, ACAMA/Profesor Universitario. Noting that the United States and France, along with more than 115 countries, have recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, he added that this support is based on both historical rights and the development happening in the region. He went on to warn that Algeria’s refusal to engage in the political process jeopardizes the future of the region as well as hinders the creation of a “great Arab area” that would benefit North Africa and humanity.
Nykaky Lygeros, University of Lyon, said that Western Sahara ceased to be a colony when the Madrid Agreements were signed, transferring the territory to Morocco. He stressed that the conflicts still exists because “Morocco’s neighbouring country” has turned a decolonization matter into a regional dispute. Noting that the Frente POLISARIO is a non-State armed group with relations with terrorist organizations in the Sahel region, he said that the group has “highjacked” its legitimacy.
The representative of Morocco raised multiple points of order requesting that petitioners focus on the agenda item under consideration.