Yearly Archives: 2020

UN reaction to US deal with Morocco

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 10 (Xinhua)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ position on the issue of Western Sahara remains unchanged despite Washington’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the territory, said his spokesman on Thursday:
“On the sovereignty issue, the secretary-general’s position remains unchanged. He remains convinced that a solution to the question of Western Sahara is possible, and that’s in accordance with relevant Security Council Resolutions 2440, 2548, to name two,” said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman.

UN statement

Reactions to Trump’s deal to recognise Moroccan occupation of WS in return for Morocco’s recognition of Israel

The decision by President Trump shows disregard to international law and to the UN and its resolutions. It affects the credibility of the US as a member of the UN Security Council that is entrusted with the questions of Western Sahara. However this is not going to change the nature of the issue as a decolonisation matter on the UN list.

There have been strong reactions challenging Trump’s decision from US Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Statement from Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Statement by Oklahoma Republican James M. Inhofe, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee

Betty McCollum, representing Minnesota’s Fourth District in the United States House of Representatives states:
“I condemn Trump’s unilateral recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara in exchange for Morocco’s diplomatic recognition of Israel. The Sahrawi people have an internationally recognized right to self-determination that must be respected. Trump’s actions dangerously extend legitimacy to the illegal annexation of Sahrawi territory, which could foreshadow his administration’s intent to recognize Israel’s annexation of Palestinian land. This is why I introduced H.R. 8050”

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) condemns Trump’s reversal of US position on Western Sahara

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Ministry of Information, Press Release, Bir Lehlou, 10 December

The Government of the Sahrawi Republic and the Frente POLISARIO condemn in the
strongest possible terms the decision taken by the outgoing US President Donald Trump to
recognise that which Morocco does not possess, namely “sovereignty over Western Sahara”.
The position announced by Trump constitutes a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United
Nations and its resolutions and the precepts of international legality. It hampers the efforts of
the international community to find a peaceful solution to the conflict between the Sahrawi
Republic and the Kingdom of Morocco. It also comes in the wake of the rupture by the
Moroccan occupying state of the ceasefire as a result of its blatant aggression on 13
November 2020. Continue reading →

ACFID Calls for Peace after Ceasefire Breaks Down in Western Sahara

10 Dec, 2020

In a statement, the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) has condemned the outbreak of violence in Western Sahara and the breakdown of the long-held ceasefire, calling for a peaceful resolution to the escalation of tensions.

ACFID is deeply concerned by reports of military operations by the Moroccan Government in the Buffer Strip in the Guerguerat area and condemns any acts of violence and aggression. Continue reading →

ACTU statement on resumption of conflict in Western Sahara

ACTU Statement, 11 December 2020

“The ACTU deplores the flagrant violation by the Moroccan army of the ceasefire in Western Sahara by moving its army into the Guerguerat area and Buffer Strip which is monitored by the United Nations’ mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO.

MINURSO was tasked with organising a referendum of self-determination promised to the people of Western Sahara, which has been occupied by Morocco since 1975. The referendum has never happened. Continue reading →

Important resolution adopted by EU Greens during the 32nd European Green Party Council

At the EU Green Party conference held 2-6 December 2020 the following resolution was adopted in response to the recent military action by Morocco and the end of the ceasefire:

View EU Greens Resolution

Adopted Resolution, Subject to proofreading
“For an EU that acts in support of peace and the right to self-determination in Western Sahara
The military operation by Morocco on the 13th Nov in the village of Al Guerguerat in Western
Sahara, and the subsequent end to the ceasefire that had been in force since 1991 by Frente
Polisario has brought the military mobilisation of hundreds of men from the Sahrawi refugee
camps located in Algeria.
The confrontations between Morocco and Polisario have also escalated; there have been
several clashes, though no civilian casualties have been reported. The pressure on local
human rights activists and supporters of Sahrawi self-determination has increased, Amnesty
International reported. Continue reading →

1 December 2020: Senator Tim Ayres – adjournment speech about Western Sahara

Senator Tim Ayres. Senator for New South wales Australian Labor Party.  Image David Foote- AUSPIC/DPS.

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA  THE SENATE
North Africa SPEECH
Tuesday, 1 December 2020
Senator Tim Ayres, Senator for New South Wales

In this excellent speech Senator Ayres spoke of the breakdown of the three-decade-long ceasefire saying the resumption of military action was a source of deep concern for the entire international community.

“Senator AYRES (New South Wales) (19:50): This evening I want to make a short contribution on a region that’s too often neglected in the parliament and in Australian public debate—that is, North Africa. The ceasefire between Morocco and the Western Sahara independence movement, Frente Polisario, has been an uneasy but longstanding source of stability in the region….(cont.)”

Hansard 1 December – Senator Ayres speech

View below:

 

Tired of stalemate, Saharawis support Polisario military action against Morocco

A handout picture published by the Moroccan army shows tents used by the Polisario Front ablaze near the Mauritanian border in Guerguerat (AFP)

The absence of a quick resolution to the recent flare-up in Western Sahara risks a wider regional conflict
By Habibulah Mohamed Lamin
Middle East Eye (MEE) 20 November 2020

Sahrawis have praised the move by the Polisario Front independence movement to confront the Moroccan army, having had enough of a decades-long stalemate that has kept them from claiming sovereignty over the contested land of Western Sahara. (…cont)

MEE article

Democracy Now: Four Days in Occupied Western Sahara

A Rare Look Inside Africa’s Last Colony as Ceasefire End
Democracy Now, Nov 27, 2020
In this special rebroadcast of a Democracy Now! exclusive documentary, we break the media blockade and go to occupied Western Sahara in the northwest of Africa to document the decades-long Sahrawi struggle for freedom and Morocco’s violent crackdown. Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. T

Watch on YouTube