Smara (Sahrawi refugee camps), 17 January 2022 (SPS) - "Full national independence" was the main demand of Members of the Sahrawi Consultative Council in their meeting with the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, stressing that "the referendum remains an acceptable alternative."
During a meeting with Staffan de Mistura upon his arrival in the Smara refugee camps, officials reaffirmed to De Mistura the main demand of the Sahrawi people, namely full national independence, stressing that the Sahrawis do not seek war but rather the Moroccan occupier who wants it.
In this regard, they recalled the UN Envoy of the Moroccan aggression targeting unarmed Sahrawi civilians in El-Guerguerat on November 13, 2020, causing the violation of the ceasefire agreement.
The UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara was welcomed by Sahrawi refugees who were carrying Sahrawi flags and held up placards calling for full national independence.
The Sahrawis further chanted slogans denouncing the violation by Morocco of the ceasefire agreement signed by the Polisario Front and Morocco in 1991.
De Mistura arrived Saturday at Tindouf airport, where he was welcomed by representative of the Polisario Front to the United Nations and coordinator with MINURSO, Sidi Mohamed Omar, and then went to the Smara camps where he met with the governor of Smara, Mariam Salek Ahmada, and members of the Sahrawi consultative council where he visited several structures and institutions.
De Mistura also met, on Sunday, with Sahrawi President and Secretary-General of the Polisario, Brahim Ghali, with whom he held official talks.
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