Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024
Category: International
New York (United Nations) – Sidi Mohamed Omar, member of the National Secretariat and Polisario Front representative to the United Nations, marked the 49th anniversary of the Madrid Agreement with a sharp critique. He emphasized that the tripartite agreement between Spain, Mauritania, and Morocco, signed on November 14, 1975, blatantly disregarded the repeated calls by the United Nations to decolonize Western Sahara.
In an article published by the Sahrawi News Agency, Sidi Mohamed Omar reaffirmed the UN’s position on Western Sahara, stressing its status as a decolonization issue under international law.
“Null and Void” Agreement
The Polisario official declared the Madrid Agreement, also known as the Declaration of Principles, as “null and void,” asserting that it violated Spain’s obligations as the administering power of Western Sahara. He highlighted the Sahrawi people’s inalienable right to self-determination and independence, which remains unfulfilled.
“The UN General Assembly never endorsed the Madrid Agreement or acknowledged it as altering Western Sahara’s international status as a territory subject to decolonization,” Omar stated. He referenced the territory’s inclusion on the UN list of non-self-governing territories in 1963, reinforcing its status under the UN Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
Ongoing UN Oversight
Sidi Mohamed Omar further noted that the UN and its bodies, including the Fourth Committee and the Special Committee on Decolonization, continue to handle Western Sahara as a decolonization issue under Chapter XI of the UN Charter. He cited the UN Secretary-General’s recent reports and the Fourth Committee’s resolution on October 17, 2024, as evidence of this ongoing classification.
Legal and International Implications
Omar emphasized that the Moroccan occupation of parts of Western Sahara, coupled with attempts to solidify control, holds no legal bearing on the territory’s international status. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), in its advisory opinion of July 19, 2024, reaffirmed the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination as a binding principle of international law.
Call to Action
Sidi Mohamed Omar concluded by urging all nations to abstain from actions undermining Western Sahara’s international status or the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. He emphasized that this right is a peremptory norm of international law, binding on all states.
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Author: Nor-Eleslam
