Bir Lahlou, April 6, 2024 (SPS) - The Sahrawi government has firmly denounced France's intention to invest in and finance projects in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, stating that this move represents explicit support for the illegal Moroccan occupation of certain parts of the Sahrawi national territory and a flagrant violation of international law and France's international obligations.
In a statement released on Saturday by the Ministry of Information, the Sahrawi government affirmed that France's announcement of its intention to invest in and finance projects, through the French Development Agency (AFD), in the occupied Sahrawi territories constitutes "a provocative step and an escalation of France's hostile position towards the Sahrawi people and their just cause."
"The government of the Sahrawi Republic strongly denounces this move, which constitutes explicit support for the illegal Moroccan occupation of certain parts of the Sahrawi national territory and a flagrant violation of international law, France's international obligations as a permanent member of the Security Council, and the ideals on which the French Republic was founded."
The long-term and multidimensional French commitment to supporting the Moroccan occupation, and its recent announcement of its intention to finance projects in the occupied Sahrawi territories, demonstrates France's determination to be a conspirator and direct partner in the crimes committed by the Moroccan occupier against the Sahrawi people since October 31, 1975, including flagrant human rights violations, plundering of natural resources, and the scorched-earth policy," the statement said.
The government of the Sahrawi Republic urgently calls on France to respect the international status of Western Sahara, to make a constructive contribution to the search for a peaceful, just, and lasting solution to decolonize Western Sahara, and not to support the Moroccan expansionist policy that seriously threatens the security and stability of all countries and peoples in the region.
As emphasized by the Government of the Sahrawi Republic in its declaration of November 18, 2020, it reaffirms that due to the violation of the ceasefire by the Moroccan state since November 13, 2020, the entire territory of the Sahrawi Republic, including the land, maritime, and airspace, remains an open war zone, the statement recalled.
For this reason, the government of the Sahrawi Republic reiterates its call to all countries of the world, both public and private sectors, to refrain from engaging in any activity of any kind in the Sahrawi national territory and warns against the consequences that may result from it, concluded the statement.