The decolonisation of Western Sahara is not just a matter of history, morality, politics and diplomacy. It is, first and foremost, a matter of justice. Therefore, human beings, especially those committed to emancipatory politics, development and justice, should empathise, solidarise and support Sahrawi people in all ways possible, and by any means necessary, against Morocco’s intransigence.
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), better known as Western Sahara, is Africa’s last colony. It was technically handed over to Morocco and Mauritania by its first colonising power, Spain, in October 1975, to be re-colonised.
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This October, therefore, marks fifty years since Morocco illegally invaded and occupied Western Sahara. But it equally marks the golden jubilee of the Sahrawi people’s tireless resistance against occupation, and their struggle for independence from Morocco.
Similarly, October marks fifty years of Morocco’s desperation, political disappointment, and diplomatic failures to subordinate, contain and neutralise the Sahrawi people’s struggle. It equally marks the fiftieth year of Morocco’s never-ending construction of colonialist proposals that offend simple common sense, transgress logic, violate international laws, and contravene civilised human ethics.
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Equally, this month marks the golden jubilee of the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) request for the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (IJC) on the legal status of Western Sahara. The ICJ found that while there were ties between Western Sahara and Morocco in the pre-colonial period, those ties did not make the latter part of the former. Consequently, Western Sahara is distinct and independent of Morocco. As such, the principle of self-determination fully applies to Western Sahara.
It was after this landmark opinion that Morocco and Mauritania criminally marched their lumpen elements to occupy and divide Western Sahara between themselves. While Mauritania realised its stupidity and withdrew in 1979, anachronistic Morocco, governed by a retrograde monarchy, persist in illegally occupying Western Sahara!
Morocco, having failed to get the Polisario Front, the sole and authentic representative of the Sahrawi people, outlawed as a “terrorist organisation” by its Western and Zionist allies, is now dangling a sugarcoated “Western Sahara Autonomy Proposal.” First submitted to the UN Security Council in April 2006, the proposal deceptively renamed occupied Western Sahara as “Sahrawi Autonomous Region”. It proposes that power be shared between Morocco and Western Sahara.
The proposal seeks to establish legislative and executive organs for the autonomous region. The suggested Parliament is to be comprised of elected and appointed members representing diverse Sahrawi groups, while the Executive will be appointed by the Moroccan monarch.
Morocco’s proposal, to start with, breaches the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that, “All human beings are born free and equal.” It also breaches Article 20 (1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right (AfCHPR), which affirms that, “All people shall have a right to existence. They shall have the unquestionable and inalienable right to self-determination. They shall freely determine their political status and shall pursue their economic and social development according to the policy they have freely chosen.”
Also, Morocco proposes to be in charge of the occupied Western Sahara’s security, defence, and territorial integrity; supervise its judiciary and currency; oversee its religious rights and freedom; and decide on the region’s national symbols, including its flag and anthem.
The region, on the other hand, will oversee the local police and jurisdictions; and economic planning and development, including investment, trade, industry, agriculture and tourism. It will also manage infrastructural development, including transportation, public works, water and electricity. It will further handle social policy matters like education, employment, health, social welfare, social security and spots; cultural and environmental affairs; and cooperation with foreign regional governments.
Morocco’s witchcraft “Sahrawi Autonomous Region” is, to say the least, offensive to common sense; it insults logic; negates the ICJ advisory opinion; violates UN declarations, resolutions, and laws; and seriously contravenes all the elaborate peace plans of the UN and African Union (UN).
Morocco’s proposal, to start with, breaches the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that, “All human beings are born free and equal.” It also breaches Article 20 (1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right (AfCHPR), which affirms that, “All people shall have a right to existence. They shall have the unquestionable and inalienable right to self-determination. They shall freely determine their political status and shall pursue their economic and social development according to the policy they have freely chosen.”
The proposal also attempts to bypass UN and AU resolutions, which liberally and amicably seek to resolve Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara. The plan, jointly elaborated by the UN and AU, signed by both the POLISARIO and Morocco, and endorsed by the Security Council in 1990, simply stipulates that Sahrawi people should vote in a referendum whether or not they want to be independent, or become an integral part of Morocco. If Morocco were sincere, why did it refuse to accept the agreement it signed?
Morocco’s proposal equally contravenes the Advisory opinion of the ICJ, which states that between Western Sahara and Morocco, there are no legal ties that: “might affect the application of Resolution 1514(XV) in the decolonization of Western Sahara and in particular, of the principle of self-determination through the free and genuine expression of the will of the peoples of the Territory.”
Why is Morocco refusing to respect this simple ICJ opinion?
Similarly, why has Morocco, which claims civility, liberality and modernism, refused to respect any of the AU resolutions on Western Sahara; and the rulings of the African Court on Human and People’s Right (AfCHPR)? In 2022, AfCHPR, for instance, ruled that Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara violates the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and ordered African states to help secure Western Sahara’s independence.
Morocco’s autonomy proposal further amounts to asking the POLISARIO Front to abandon its objectives, mission and goals; impose a fait accompli of occupation and colonisation; and force Sahrawi people, whom international laws grant the right to self-determination, to accept an autonomy that is outright undemocratic, non-democratic, anti-democratic and dehumanising.
Equally, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has made seven key rulings on European Union (EU)–Morocco trade agreements. All, recognise that Western Sahara is distinct and independent from Morocco; underscore the importance of the principle of self-determination in international law; and obligate European countries to respect the inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination. Yet, Morocco and its European backers refused to obey ECJ rulings!
Morocco, as a member of UN and AU, should, therefore, respect and totally subordinate itself to the UN and AU charters. It should also adhere to ICJ opinion, and AfCHPR and ECJ rulings.
Morocco’s autonomy proposal further amounts to asking the POLISARIO Front to abandon its objectives, mission and goals; impose a fait accompli of occupation and colonisation; and force Sahrawi people, whom international laws grant the right to self-determination, to accept an autonomy that is outright undemocratic, non-democratic, anti-democratic and dehumanising.
Should the POLISARIO Front accept Morocco’s proposal – and GOD forbid it ever happens – it will be abandoning Sahrawi people’s glorious traditions of resistance and rich culture of struggles. It will also be tantamount to throwing the Sahrawi people’s historic military, political, legal, diplomatic and moral gains to hyenas. It will be synonymous to committing national suicide.
The POLISARIO Front should, therefore, continue its struggles, with more vigour and rigour, for Western Sahara’s independence in the spirit and letter of Article 20 (2) of AfCHPR, which states that: “Colonized or oppressed peoples shall have the rights to free themselves from the bonds of domination by resorting to any means recognized by the international community.”
That Morocco’s proposal is supported by the North America, EU countries – especially France and Spain, the United Kingdom (UK), Zionist and Apartheid Israel and, of course, some of their neocolonies within and outside Africa – does not give it any credence, or make it legitimate.
The decolonisation of Western Sahara is not just a matter of history, morality, politics and diplomacy. It is, first and foremost, a matter of justice. Therefore, human beings, especially those committed to emancipatory politics, development and justice, should empathise, solidarise and support Sahrawi people in all ways possible, and by any means necessary, against Morocco’s intransigence.
Ahmed Aminu-Ramatu Yusuf worked as deputy director, Cabinet Affairs Office, The Presidency, and retired as General Manager (Administration), Nigerian Meteorological Agency, (NiMet). Email: [email protected]
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