The European Coordination of Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (ECOSOC) has strongly criticized what it describes as Morocco’s ‘propagandistic interpretation’ of the latest UN Security Council resolution concerning the Western Sahara issue. The condemnation came in the concluding statement of ECOSOC’s 49th session, held in Paris.
The statement emphasized the need for widespread popular mobilization across Europe to mark the 50th anniversary of the ‘occupation’ and to strengthen alliances, particularly with the struggles of colonized peoples. The session participants reviewed Security Council Resolution 2797, issued on October 31, 2025, and denounced Morocco’s interpretation of the document.
ECOSOC maintains that the resolution reaffirms the mandate of MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) and recognizes the Polisario Front as the legitimate and sole representative of the Sahrawi people. Furthermore, the resolution explicitly calls for a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution that guarantees the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, in accordance with the principles and objectives of the UN Charter.
The concluding statement dismissed what it called ‘the noise’ emanating from the Moroccan side as unfounded. It highlighted that the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly adopted a resolution on October 16th affirming the legal status of Western Sahara and the UN’s responsibility towards the Sahrawi people in the decolonization process.
Support committees reaffirmed their political priorities, which include organizing a referendum, halting the exploitation of natural resources, denouncing human rights violations by Moroccan forces, and highlighting the responsibilities of Spain, France, and the United States. ECOSOC’s session also adopted a program to strengthen Sahrawi state-building in the social, economic, and territorial spheres. Priorities for 2026 include implementing incentive systems, increasing international support, and organizing conferences for solidarity cities.
ECOSOC: Paris Session Sends Message to France. The choice of Paris as the venue for the conference, with sessions held partly in the National Assembly and partly in the Bourse du Travail (Labor Exchange), and culminating in a symbolic gathering in the Place de la République, was intended as a direct message to French authorities. The message urged France not to obstruct the Sahrawi people’s legitimate right to freely express their inalienable right to self-determination and decolonization. The concluding statement called on France to strongly defend the principles of law within European institutions, the Security Council, and the UN General Assembly.
