Organizations and political parties from across the globe have issued a strong condemnation of alleged Moroccan occupation and human rights violations in Western Sahara. They are urging the international community to take swift action to ensure the Sahrawi people can exercise their right to self-determination and bring an end to what they describe as the ongoing colonization of the territory.
In a joint statement, numerous groups and prominent figures highlighted the 50th anniversary of the Moroccan presence in Western Sahara. They asserted that the Sahrawi people continue to be denied their inalienable right to self-determination, a situation they claim represents a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, United Nations resolutions, and the rulings of international courts.
The statement emphasized that international legal opinions, including a 1975 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, do not recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. The territory remains on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, awaiting the completion of its decolonization process.
Signatories of the statement accuse Morocco of systematically obstructing the holding of a self-determination referendum, which was initially agreed upon in 1991. They also point to a surge in alleged human rights abuses since the breakdown of the ceasefire in 2020. The statement claims the Sahrawi people find themselves once again embroiled in conflict, exacerbated by what they perceive as international silence and a failure to enforce international humanitarian law.
The joint statement detailed accusations of crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, torture, arbitrary arrests, politically motivated trials, forced displacement, demographic manipulation, systematic repression, censorship, harassment, violence against activists, and the use of drones against civilians. These actions, they argue, constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law.
The organizations and political parties are calling for increased international pressure to ensure the protection of human rights in Western Sahara and the prompt resolution of the conflict, enabling the Sahrawi people to freely determine their future.
