WESTERN SAHARA´S CONFLICT IN THE MAIN U.N.´S AGENDA

The women from the Africa´s last colony: Western Sahara, totally support the whole speech of the POLISARO Front United Nations´s Permanent Representative, Mr. ahmed, pronounced this week in

the Special Committee on Decolonization of western sahara hold in the UN´s main headquarters.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario Front), said 18 years had passed since the United Nations had endorsed, in 1991, the plan for a self-determination referendum in Western Sahara, which was still to be held. The process had been deterred by Morocco on the basis of friendships it had forged in the Security Council, particularly with France, which would provide it with impunity to continue its destructive efforts. Morocco still believed that it could involve the Council in gravely altering the Saharan people's fundamental basic right to self-determination. None of the endeavours carried out, from the 1997 Houston Agreement to the 2003 Baker Plan, to efforts by Christopher Ross, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, had managed to overcome the intransigence of the occupying Power, he said.

Morocco had incorporated new arguments and pretexts to create new alliances within the Council in exchange for hopes of realizing the final annexation of Western Sahara, he continued. That would signify the introduction of a new and curious doctrine that would enable all those participating in it to annex neighbouring territories, he warned. That pseudo-solution of "autonomy of Moroccan sovereignty", which Morocco had formulated in 2007 and set as a precondition for advancing the current negotiations, implied forcing the Saharan people to renounce the option of independence and integrate into the occupying Power. It would not be difficult for members of the Special Committee to consider that pseudo-solution as a grave rejection of the principle of self-determination, established by the United Nations in resolution 1514 (XV) and defined in resolution 1541 (XV).

Morocco continued to negate the 1991 United Nations decision, he said, adding that it also continued illegally to exploit Western Sahara's natural resources and to violate the Saharan people's human rights under the eyes and ears of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). There was no indication that Morocco would change its position in the near future, he said, noting that the United Nations would fail to address the situation of the last African territory on the Special Committee's agenda. The Moroccan case could have represented success on decolonization, but instead, it had become a symbol of protracted failure. No one could resign themselves to a fait accompli predicated on false and territorial appetites, he stressed.

He said Morocco was continuing the expansionist policies of Mohamed Allal al‑Fassi, leader of the Istiqlal Party, who had sought, since independence in 1956, to forge a "Greater Morocco" extending into Senegal and swallowing up all of Western Sahara, Mauritania and parts of Algeria and Mali. The region had seen no peace since 1975, and had even moved further away from it due to Morocco's decision to base its demands on ancient history. Failure to follow the road to peace, as instructed by the United Nations, should not be permitted, he said, adding that the Special Committee could play a large role in replacing injury and violence with a complete process for the peaceful decolonization of the last African colony on its agenda.

More than ever, the Special Committee had the chance to find out for itself what was happening in the Territory, he said, recalling that its last visit to Western Sahara had taken place 35 years ago. There was no valid or convincing reason to object to a second visit until the question of decolonization was resolved. The Special Committee had a right to request and receive true and appropriate information about the situation in the Territory, but Morocco was refusing to provide it, claiming that it had no colonies, only "provinces". Sooner or later international law would prevail in Western Sahara, he said.

Calling for a pooling of efforts to convince Morocco to cooperate with the United Nations on ending the unsustainable colonial situation that had handicapped the future of the entire region, bringing instability and insecurity, he said all countries of the region had been subjected to European colonization, and had subsequently spent years building their own independent futures. "We cannot be an exception to the general rule," he emphasized, denouncing Morocco for trying to return to times of injury, violence and territorial bullying based on ancient history. The only way forward was through a democratic solution in which the Saharan people would be masters of their own destiny, he said.

When asked by the representative of Bolivia about a solution to the conflict, Mr. Boukhari ahmed said all the parties concerned had agreed on a solution "a long time". The consensus had been that the Saharan people could decide whether they preferred to remain part of Morocco or to become independent. However, there had been a deviation from that process towards attempts to legitimize an unacceptable situation, he said, noting that, during informal negotiations, Morocco had taken "a step back". In light of that, Mr. Ross hoped to consider a new negotiating round in efforts to move forward. The only solution was to apply the already agreed-upon principle of self-determination for Western Sahara, he said, noting that any other method could lead to "a dead end".

Responding to a question by the representative of Nicaragua about the Special Committee's role, he said that, as long as the decolonization process continued in the Territory, the Special Committee would remain involved and use all the means at its disposal. He said he did not understand the rationale behind objections to the Special Committee visiting Western Sahara in order for members to view the situation for themselves. It should visit, since preventing such a visit would not help to strengthen the competence of its work.

Asked by the representative of Venezuela about the difficulties of the decolonization process, he said the current situation in Western Sahara was the result of destruction that had begun in 2009. Considering the risk that a lack of action could become a shield for the status quo, he urged the United Nations to take another look at the situation in Western Sahara so as to avoid a tragedy that would take place in the Organization's name.

THE SAHARAWIS AND THE WORLD REFUGEE´S DAY

On the occassion of the World Refugee´s Day, June 20th, the Saharawi Women would like to express their great concern about the plight of the more than fourty millions of refugee persons around the world among them the thousand of the saharawis whom were forced to scape their country: Western Sahara when Morocco invaded their country theirty-five years ago.

The Saharawi Women launched an urgent appeal to the international community to convince Morocco to implement the hundreds of United Nations´s resolutions on this problem of decolonization and to respect the human rights in the saharawi cities of Western Sahara, illegally occupied by the moroccan army.

The Saharawi Women are convinced that the hardships of the Saharawi refugees will continue as long as Morocco continues to illegally profit from the occupation of its neighbouring country and that is why we as women from this north-african country call on the international community to break the cash-flow from the occupied territories to the Moroccan treasury.

The humanitarian situation for the Saharawi grows ever more acute. The Saharawi people living in the refugee camps in Algeria suffer from donor fatigue and malnutrition. A study from 2008 establishes that 1 in every 5 Saharawi children is malnourished. It is unsettling to note that the annual multilateral aid to the refugee camps is only a small percentage of the massive profits Morocco makes by illegally exploiting the Saharawi resources.

Once again and on the World Refugee Day we, the Saharawi Women urge the international community to stop turning a blind eye to this persistent injustice. Choosing to look away is also a political choice, as it only strengthens the ongoing and untenable moroccanization of the territory.

Furthermore, it is an offense to the Saharawi refugees, who in the face of inhumane hardship have kept their end of the seize-fire bargain, doing exactly what the international community has asked them to do: wait. If the United Nations are truly committed to solving the last unresolved colonial conflict in Africa , breaking the cash-flow from the occupied territories to the occupying regime might be a good place to start.

NEW BOOK ON WESTERN SAHARA

                                                                            

The Saharawi Women would like to express  their congratulations to the authors of the last book that has just been published on the conflict of decolonization of Western Sahara: The two authors of this book are: the american university professors: Stephen Zunes and Jacob Mundy.

The tittle of the book is: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution and with a Foreword by George McGovern

"The Western Sahara is one of the world’s last vestiges of colonialism. In this thoughtful and impressive analysis, Stephen Zunes and Jacob Mundy provide valuable insights on the importance of enabling the people of the Western Sahara to determine their own future through a democratic referendum."

—the late Senator Edward Kennedy

"This book is a timely and scholarly synthesis presented with clarity and comprehension. Backed by their fieldwork, the authors consider Western Sahara’s irresolution as a consequence of not only competing nationalisms (and interfering actors), but also of conflicting imaginations of polity and society."

—Phillip Naylor, author of France and Algeria: A History of Decolonization and Transformation

Description:

The Western Sahara conflict has proven to be one of the most protracted and intractable struggles facing the international community. Pitting local nationalist determination against Moroccan territorial ambitions, the dispute is further complicated by regional tensions with Algeria and the geo-strategic concerns of major global players, including the United States, France, and the territory’s former colonial ruler, Spain. For over twenty years, the UN Security Council has failed to find a formula that will delicately balance these interests against Western Sahara’s long-denied right to a self-determination referendum as one of the last UN-recognized colonies.

In the first book-length treatment of the issue in over two decades, Zunes and Mundy examine the origins, evolution, and resilience of the Western Sahara conflict, deploying a diverse array of sources and firsthand knowledge of the region gained from multiple research visits. Shifting geographical frames—local, regional, and international—provide for a robust analysis of the stakes involved.

View other books in the Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution series

Authors:

Stephen Zunes is professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco where he chairs the program in Middle Eastern Studies. He is the author of Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism. He was named Peace Scholar of the Year for 2002 by the Peace and Justice Studies Association.

Jacob Mundy is a doctoral candidate at the University of Exeter’s Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, and author of several book chapters and articles on North African politics. He is Amnesty USA’s Country Specialist for Morocco and Western Sahara, and served as a consulting external analyst for the International Crisis Group for the Western Sahara conflict.

WINNIE MANDELA REAFFIRMS HER COMMITMENT WITH THE SAHARAWI PEOPLE

The historical anti-apartheid activsit,Winnie Mandela, has reaffirmed her commitment of supporting the the Saharawi people´s struggle for freedom and independence.

The symbol of the struggle of the all african women, Mrs. Winnie Mandela, has been invited by the main Vice-Chancellors of the seven Public Universities of Madrid for attending an interesting conference on Western Sahara which has been held in the spanish capital, Madrid, where a great number of experts in the issue of decolnization of Western sahara have taken part during the three days talks. They invited her to participate in the International Conference because since last month of March she was elected as the President of the International Platform of Solidarity with the Saharawi People.

Winnie Mandela called in her speech in Madrid for the decolonization of Western Sahara, "the last colony in Africa," and condemned the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, comparing it with "the fascist apartheid regime" in South Africa.

During the Public Universities Days on Western Sahara, opened on Wednesday, May 26th, in Madrid, Winnie Mandela stated that the "solution to the question of Western Sahara is clear, which is the self-determination and independence, based on the application of the UN legitimate resolutions and international recognized principles."

The ANC historic leader and nowadays South-African´s M.P. pointed out that "Western Sahara remains the last colony in Africa at a time when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the UNGA resolution which is the cornerstone of the decolonization course under the auspices of the United Nations in the framework of international law and major independences in the African continent."

Winnie Mandela - President of the International Women's platform in support of the Sahrawi cause - also stated that the struggle of the Saharawi people for its inalienable right to self-determination is "a just and legitimate struggle for liberation led by a legitimate government."

She further stated "it is a struggle against colonialism and occupant and repressive state, indicating that Spain "has stolen the land and left it to other colonizer, namely Morocco, which continues to benefit from the support of Madrid as well as other Western powers exploiting the natural resources of the Saharawi people" She said in her speech.