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 →

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

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.

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….)

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