Paris, July 1, 2019 (SPS) - South African activist for social justice, human rights and environment Catherine Constantinides affirmed that “security and stability in North Africa won’t be achieved without the decolonization of Western Sahara, stressing the need to resolve the conflict which has lasted more than 40 years.
Speaking in a colloquium at the French Assembly on Western Sahara and security challenges, Constantinides said “it is necessary to take advantage of this moment to avoid the return of war and instability to this region.”
She underlined that the new Sahrawi generation rejects to live in the refugee camps and abroad among the Diaspora, expressing the hope that the United Nations will find a solution to the conflict which has persisted for decades because of some countries’ manipulation of all the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.
She called on all the players of the African continent and countries supporting peace and stability to demand from Morocco to respect human rights, stop serious violations against the Sahrawi civilians and to put an end to the plundering of Sahrawi people’s resources, pointing out that these acts have negative effects on the peace process promoted by the United Nations for the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
In this respect, South African activist underscored that stability and security in the region is dependent on the respect by Morocco of the international law in occupied Western Sahara.
She said that “the challenge of security in the North-African region is the responsibility of all the countries of the African continent.”
During this colloquium organized at the French Assembly, the participants called on the European countries not to neglect the Sahrawi people’s role in the security of the Maghreb and Sahel. (SPS)
062/SPS/APS