Johannesburg, April 7, 2013 (SPS) - Head of Secretariat at the Danish NGO Afrika Kontakt Mr. Morten Nielsen renewed Sunday commitment of his organization to continue advocating for the right of the people of Western Sahara to freedom and independence.
In an interview with SPS on the sidelines of Afrika Kontakt partnership seminar held in the South African city of Johannesburg in the presence of Saharawi Students’ delegation, Mr. Nielson underlined that his Organization considers the issue of Western Sahara as “a matter of decolonisation. This view is fully supported by the United Nations, amongst many others.”
“We campaign to ensure the rights of the Saharawis to a referendum of independence. But we also work on many other issues, such as trying to stop the plundering of Western Sahara resources by Morocco, which others such as the European Union are a part of,” he added.
The official went on saying that Afrika Kontakt campaign for these issues by lobbying Danish ministers and politicians, and EU Commissioners and others, to confront Danish companies which illegally trade Western Saharan products through taking concrete actions such as demonstrating in front of the Moroccan embassy.
“We also help educate strategic members of the Danish society, such as members of parliament, by organising trips to both the occupied and liberated territories for them together with Polisario’s representative to Denmark,” he pointed out.
Mr. Nielsen stated that Afrika Kontakt plans to give more importance within the NGO to the conditions in the Saharawi refugee camps, and to try to launch concrete projects in Western Sahara together with partner organizations.
Africa Contact is a Danish non-governmental solidarity organization that deals with economic and socio-political rights.
It is a member of the Western Sahara Resource Watch and also cooperates with Scandinavian and other countries on advocacy and campaigning. (SPS)
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