Open letter to UNSC from international WS solidarity groups
Ahead of the MINURSO vote in the UN Security Council, we have coordinated several regional group letters and an open letter from the international Western Sahara solidarity groups.
Over the last year, the United Nations has failed to live up to its commitments to the Saharawi people. Its failure to appoint a new Personal Envoy of the Secretary General to Western Sahara—despite Horst Köhler having resigned over 17 months ago—demonstrates its utter lack of determination in pursuing justice in Western Sahara. The diplomatic process has stalled completely, and the lack of a credible political process has led to growing instability, a rise in attacks on women, and a worsening crackdown on freedom of information, assembly, and movement in Saharawi-populated areas.
Despite the presence of MINURSO, which was established several decades ago to organise a referendum on self-determination, Morocco continues to obstruct the peace process and ignore the political, social, and economic rights of the Saharawi people. This is largely due to the fact that MINURSO lacks the mandate to monitor and report on human rights in Western Sahara; its inability to act against Morocco’s human rights violations makes it increasingly difficult to achieve its established goals. This has been clearly demonstrated this year by Morocco’s violations of the ceasefire and Military Agreement No. 1 through its illegal breach in Guerguerat. These problems are all exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced reductions in MINURSO’s patrol capacity and hindered its observational effectiveness. We must not allow Morocco to take advantage of a catastrophic pandemic to further strip rights away from the Saharawi people.
The UN must quickly move to advance a political solution before Morocco’s illegal actions make one impossible. It must appoint a new personal envoy to renew trust in the process, establish a firm political timetable—this includes returning to the six-month mandate—and grant MINURSO the legal mandate to monitor and report on human rights in territory held by both Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO in order to prevent illegal human rights violations from derailing the political process. Furthermore, the UN must speak out against the illegal extraction of natural resources from Western Sahara, which completely ignores the will of the indigenous population; Morocco’s blatant violations of international law and archaic, colonial actions must not go unaddressed. Finally, given the potential for the spread of Covid 19 in Morocco's overcrowded prisons, the UN should pressure Morocco to release all Saharawi political prisoners and others detained in violation of international law.
Despite Morocco’s increasingly blatant violations of established agreements and international laws, international efforts to secure the rights and self-determination have been woefully insufficient. We must come together to push for justice in Western Sahara.
Yours sincerely
Beccy Allen
Coordinator, Western Sahara Action Forum
Adala UK - Sidi Ahmed Fadel, President All Party Group on Western Sahara, UK – Ben Lake, Chair ACAPS-Girona - Pilar Bayé Valls, Secretària ANARASD - María Rosario Pardo Gaskue, Coordinadora entidad. Associació Amics del Poble Sahraui de les Illes Balears - Catalina Rosselló Nadal, Presidenta CITTA'VISIBILI APS – ITALIA - Nadia Conti, Presidente Defense Forum Foundation - Suzanne Scholte, President Federació ACAPS - Núria Salamé, Presidenta FEDISSAH - Antonio López, Secretario GMB - John Phillips, Acting General Secretary National Education Union - Celia Dignan, International Secretary New Internationalist - Chris Brazier, Publications Editor Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara - Erik Hagen, Director Olive Branch Arts - Becky Finlay Hall, Co-Director Sandblast Arts - Danielle Smith, Founder Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes de Valencia - Cruzana Gómez, Participación y Asociacionismo TUC - Frances O’Grady, General Secretary, UGT Castile and León - Evelio Angulo Alvarez, Deputy Secretary-General UNISON – Dave Prentis, General Secretay War on Want - Asad Rehman, Executive Director Western Sahara Action Forum (WSAF) - Beccy Allen, Coordinator Western Sahara Action Ireland - Mark McLoughlin, Coordinator Western Sahara Campaign (WSC UK) - John Gurr, Coordinator Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) - Sara Eyckmans, Coordinator Asociación Banat Saguia y Wad Dahab - Yamahir Hindi, Secretario Asociación de la Comunidad Saharaui en Aragón (ACSA) - Mohamed Yumani, Secretario Asociación Doctora Beituha -Rabub Alamin, Secretario Asociación de Familiares de Presos y Desaparecidos Saharauis (AFAPREDESA) - Abdeslam Omar, Secretario Asociación por la Justicia y los Derechos Humanos, Asociación de Médicos Saharaui en España - Walina Sadna, Secretario Asociación Profesional de Abogados Saharauis en España (APRASE) - Sidi Talebuya, Secretario Asociación por la Protección de los Presos Saharaui en las Cárceles Marroquí - Hasana Abba, Secretario Asociación Saharaui contra la Tortura, Asociación Saharaui de Control de los Recursos naturales y la Protección del Medio Ambiente, Asociación Saharaui para la Protección de los Derechos Humanos y los Recursos naturales, Asociación Saharaui para la Protección y Difusión del Patrimonio cultural Saharaui, Asociación de Saharauis en Alicante - Sallami Mahmud, Presidenta Asociación de Saharauis en Ávila, Asociación de Saharauis en Asturias - Abdalahi Azman, Presidenta Asociación de Saharauis en Fuerteventura, Asociación de Saharauis en Granada, Asociación de Saharauis en Jerez de la Frontera - Maglaha Mohamed, Presidenta Asociación de Saharauis en Lebrija - Nafi Suelam, Presidenta. Asociación de Saharauis en Tenerife - Sukeina Nday, Presidenta. Asociación de Saharauis en Valdepeñas, Asociación de Víctimas de Minas (ASAVIM) - Mohamed Hanchi, Presidenta Association de la Communauté Sahraouie en France, Association pour la Conservation de l'Environnement, Association Culture Sahara, Association culturelle Sahraouie en France, Association des Femmes Sahraouies en France - Lala Yehdih, Presidenta Association for the Monitoring of Resources and for the Protection of the Environment in Western Sahara (AMRPENWS), Association Sahraouie des Victimes des Violations Graves des Droits de l’Homme Commises par l’Etat Marocain (ASVDH) - Brahim Dahane, Presidenta Association des Sahraouis en Belgique - Mohamed Larousi, Presidenta Association des Sahraouis de Bordeaux - Fatma Lousi, Presidenta Association des Sahraouis du Centre de la France - Hasan Melid Association des Sahraouis de Les Mureaux - Mbarek Ranna Association des Sahraouis de Mantes-la-Jolie - Mohamed Ameira, Presidenta Association des Sahraouis de Montauban - Abdalahi Abderrahman Association des Sahraouis de Perigueux - Mulay Jedu, Presidenta Bentili Media Center - Bachir Ismaili, Presidenta Campaña Saharaui para la sensibilización sobre el peligro de Minas (SCBL) - Mohmaed Cherif, Presidenta Centro Saharaui por la Salvaguardia de la Memoria, Asociation Saharauis in Sweden - Luali Amidane, Presidenta Association Caraso - Nayem Sidi, Presidenta Colectivo Saharaui en Valencia - Ahmed Omar, Presidenta Colectivo Saharaui en Gipuzkoa – Mohamed Hnini, Presidenta Colectivo Saharaui en Cataluña - Baba Abdalahi, Presidenta Colectivo Saharaui en Lanzarote – Bachir Mansur, Presidenta Comité de Apoyo por el Plano de Paz y la Protección de los Recursos Naturales en el Sáhara Occidental, Comité de Defensa del Derecho de Autodeterminación (CODAPSO), Comité de Familiares de los 15 Jóvenes Secuestrados, Comité de Familiares de Mártires y Desaparecidos, Comité de Familiares de los Presos Políticos Saharauis, Comité de Protección de los Recursos Naturales, Comité Saharaui de Defensa de Derechos Humanos (Glaimim), Comité Saharaui de Defensa de Derechos Humanos (Smara), Comité Saharaui de Defensa de Derechos Humanos (Zag), Comité Saharaui por el Monitereo de los Derechos Humanos (Assa), Comité de Victimas de Agdaz y Magouna, Comunidad Saharaui en Castilla y Leon – Said Mahmud, Presidenta Comunidad Saharaui en Cantabria, Comunidad Saharaui en Llodio - Hafdala Lehbib, Presidenta. Comunidad Saharaui en Castilla la Mancha – Bachir Sidi Baaya, Presidenta Comunidad Saharaui en Euskadi - Umrguia, Presidenta Comunidad Saharaui en Bizcaia – Ahmed Abeidi, Presidenta Comunidad Saharaui en Cádiz, Comunidad Saharaui en La Rioja, Comunidad Saharaui en Las Palmas, Comunidad Saharaui en Madrid – Brahim Malad, Presidenta Comunidad Saharaui en Murcia, Comunidad Saharaui en Navarra, Coordinadora de Gdeim Izik para un Movimiento Pacífico, Coordinadora de los Graduados Saharauis Desempleados, Coordinadora de las ONGs saharauis en El Aaiún, Coordinadora Saharaui de Derechos Humanos de Tantan, Diaspora Saharaui Mujeres, PC: FATIMA ISA. Equipe Média, Fédération Sportive des Sahraouis en France – Malainin Mohamed, Presidenta Forum Futuro de la Mujer Saharaui, Groupe Non Violence Active (NOVA SAHARA OCCIDENTAL), Grupo por la Renuncia de la Nacionalidad Marroquí, Liga de Defensa de los Presos Políticos Saharaui, Liga de Estudiantes Saharauis en España, Liga de Médicos Saharauis en España, Liga de Mujeres Saharauis en España, Liga Nacional dos Direitos Humanos, Liga de Periodistas Saharauis en España, Liga Saharaui de defensa de Derechos Humanos y Protección de RN-Bojador, Ligue des Jeunes et des Etudiants Sahraouis en France, Ligue pour la Protection des Prisonniers Sahraouis dans les prisons marocaines (LPPS), Observatoire des Médias Saharaouis pour documenter les violations des droits de l’homme, Observatorio Saharaui por el Niño y la Mujer, Observatorio Saharaui de Protección del Niño, Observatorio Saharaui de Recursos Naturales, Organización Contra la Tortura en Dakhla, Organización Saharaui por la Defensa de las libertades y la dignidad, Saharawi Advocacy Campaign, Saharawi Association for Persons with Disabilities in Western Sahara, Saharawi Association in the USA (SAUSA), Saharawi Campaign against the Plunder (SCAP), Saharawi Center for Media and Communication, Saharawi Media Team, Saharawi Voice, SOL de Paz - Pachakuti Union des Ingénieurs Sahraouis, Unión de Juristas Saharauis (UJS), Unión Nacional de Abogados Saharauis, Unión Nacional de Estudiantes de Saguia El Hamra y Rio de Oro (UESARIO), Unión Nacional de la Juventud de Saguia El Hamra y Rio de Oro (UJSARIO), Unión Nacional de Mujeres Saharauis (UNMS), Unión Nacional de Trabajadores de Saguia El Hamra y Rio de Oro (UGTSARIO), Unión de Periodistas y Escritores Saharauis (UPES)
WESTERN SAHARA CAMPAIGN UK
The Western Sahara Campaign works in solidarity with the Saharawi people to generate political support in order to advance their right to self-determination and to promote their human rights.
Our role is to lobby the UK Government and the EU. You can help us to ensure the UK does not ignore the voice of the Saharawi people.
Follow the news about EU's illegal fisheries in Western Sahara