Yearly Archives: 2020

Greens condemn violence in Western Sahara

MEDIA RELEASE
JANET RICE 25 NOV 2020 FOREIGN AFFAIRS
“The Australian Greens condemn the violence and breakdown in the UN-backed ceasefire in Western Sahara. Any acts of aggression by the Moroccan government are unacceptable, and the Australian Greens are profoundly concerned at reports that the Moroccan government has launched a military operation in a United Nations-patrolled buffer strip in Western Sahara.  The Australian Greens urge the UN to broker a renewed cease-fire as soon as possible.
Continue reading →

18/11/2020 AWSA releases Statement of solidarity with the people of Western Sahara

The ceasefire that has held in Western Sahara broke down on Friday 13 November, and has led to the resumption of full-scale hostilities between Morocco and Western Sahara.
Consequently there is a further deterioration of the geopolitical situation in the whole of the Maghreb.
The Australia Western Sahara Association (AWSA) condemns Morocco’s flagrant violation of the terms of the ceasefire and has released the following Statement:

Statement of solidarity with the people of Western Sahara
For immediate release, 18 November 2020

“The Australia Western Sahara Association expresses solidarity for the people of Western Sahara and strongly condemns Morocco’s flagrant violation of the terms of the ceasefire in Western Sahara on Friday 13 November 2020.
Under the peace accord the United Nations was to organise a referendum of self -determination for the people of Western Sahara allowing them to choose the status of their land, which has been occupied by Morocco since 1975. The referendum has never happened. Continue reading →

NGOs Geneva Support Group press release following resumption of the conflict

NGOs Geneva Support Group for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Western Sahara (GSGPPHRWS)
Press Release, Bir Lehlu / Geneva,  19th November 2020

“The international community must ensure the exercise of the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination.
The Geneva Support Group for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Western
Sahara (253 member organisations) condemns the breakdown of the ceasefire in force since
1991 in the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara on the part of the Kingdom of
Morocco, which did not hesitate to deploy its troops and weapons in front of a group of
unarmed civilians who were peacefully demonstrating in the demilitarised zone of Guerguerat
in the south-east of the Territory. (…cont.)”

Press release, 19 Nov 2020

Western Sahara: Africa’s oldest conflict reignites

One of Africa’s oldest and least known conflicts has restarted.
By Tony Iltis
Green Left Weekly November 19, 2020, Issue 1289

Brahim Ghali, President of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and leader of the Western Saharan independence movement, the Polisario Front, issued a decree ending the ceasefire that has existed between pro-independence forces and Moroccan occupation forces since 1991 on November 13

GLW Article

The Continued Irresolution of the Conflict of Western Sahara

The Continued Irresolution of the Conflict of Western Sahara: The Right to Self-determination vs. Realpolitik

Dr Sidi M. Omadetermination vs. Realpolitik

Dr Sidi M. Omar, Frente POLISARIO Representative at the United Nations
Sahara Press Service, 27 June 2020

“Today peoples of many erstwhile colonies enjoy their freedom and independence, yet unfortunately colonialism is far from over. At present, there are 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories whose peoples have not yet exercised their right to self-determination and independence including Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa, on the UN list of Non-SelfGoverning Territories since 1963. …. (cont.)

Read article

Refugee Week 2020: Youtube Q&A on Western Sahara

To mark Refugee Week 2020, we came together for a virtual ‘Watch Party’ of the film “Sirocco: Winds of Resistance”, followed by a Q&A panel.

You can watch the Q&A panel discussion at the Youtube link here

Thank you to our special guests Kamal Fadel, Meredith Burgmann, and Randi Irwin for joining the AWSA community in the online webinar! And thank you to everyone who came along to celebrate the long and continuing struggle of the Saharawi people for freedom and independence! It was a fascinating discussion on the COVID-19 lock-down in the refugee camps, the current state-of-play in the international community regarding the long-promised referendum, and what Australia can do to support Saharawi independence.

The people of Western Sahara are Africa’s forgotten refugees

Eyewitness News, June 2020

EWN, Eyewitness News, Opinion,  June 2020
By Catherine Constantinides, international climate and social justice activist and human rights defender and
Vitalio Angula, socio-political commentator and independent columnist

World Refugee Day was held globally for the first time on 20 June 2001, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. It was originally known as Africa Refugee Day, before the United Nations General Assembly officially designated it as an international day in December 2000.
Each year, World Refugee Day is marked by a variety of events in many countries around the globe in support of refugees.
The people of Western Sahara continue to be the forgotten people of Africa and the world.

(read EWN article….)

Open letter to UN from Geneva Group of NGOs supporting Saharawi human rights

Saharawis were alarmed to discover that the Moroccan ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale, had been appointed by the UN to oversee human rights treaties. He will work jointly with the Swiss ambassador, Valentin Zellweger, on how to strengthen human rights treaty bodies of the United Nations.

The open letter from the NGOs Support Group for Human Rights in Geneva was made public on Friday 17 April protesting Hilale’s appointment.
It details why Omar Hilale is certainly not the right man for this job. Firstly a country which is occupying another country in violation of international law should not be entrusted with such work. Secondly, Morocco was found by a UN rapporteur to have imposed lengthy prison sentences on Saharawis based on “ “confessions” extracted under torture and has not investigated the claims as required to do.

16 April 2020 Open Letter to UNGA President

The Geneva support group for Saharawis’ human rights also issued a press release to mark International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. It includes the full list of AWSA co-signatories from 210 organisations belonging to the Geneva group.
Press release: 200324 PR Intl. Day Truth-Victims

March 24 – UN International Day for the Right to the Truth about Gross Violations of Human Rights and for the Dignity of the Victims

On this day the Australia Western Sahara Association honours the resilience of the people of Western Sahara in their peaceful struggle for self-determination and independence.  

AWSA has joined with the Geneva Support Group for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Western Sahara in calling for United Nations processes for holding the referendum for self-determination be re-activated. Importantly, on this international day, the UN must commit to the monitoring of violations of human rights in the Occupied Territory of Western Sahara and reporting the truth about such abuses, including enforced disappearances.

News release issued 24 March 2020 by the Geneva Support Group