Bir Lehlou (Sahrawi Republic), 7 December 2020 (SPS) - President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) Brahim Ghali, called upon the African Union (AU) to put pressure on Morocco to end "the illegal military occupation of parts of the territory" of Western Sahara.
"The Sahrawi republic, a founding member of the African Union, and following the serious danger of this fresh Moroccan assault, urgently demands that our neighbor, the Kingdom of Morocco, be obliged to fully respect the objectives and principles of the AU Constitutive Act (adopted in July 2000 in Togo) it had signed and ratified without any reservation, and put an end to the military and illegal occupation of certain parts of our national territory," said the Sahrawi president.
Speaking to the 14th extraordinary session of the African Union under the theme "silencing the guns," held by videoconference, Brahim Ghali added that "the resumption of the armed clashes between the Sahrawi Republic and the Kingdom of Morocco since November 13" had been caused by "the flagrant and blatant violation of the cease-fire agreement by Morocco.
The Moroccan occupying power persists in its colonial practices in the occupied parts of the SADR, notably its flagrant violations of human rights perpetrated against defenseless civilians - in these circumstances marked by the COVID-19 pandemic – who are subjected to systematic repression and serious neglect, comparable to an attempted genocide, while the Sahrawi political prisoners in Moroccan jails face various forms of torture and indifference.”
The occupying power also continues to massively plunder the Sahrawi natural resources and to involve foreign parties with the aim of perpetuating the fait accompli which is the illegal military occupation of parts of the territory of an African State by another African state," he added.
Ghali appealed upon the AU to assume its responsibilities, recalling that "the conflict between the Sahrawi Republic and the Kingdom of Morocco is above all an African question.”
"The SADR calls on the African Union to take responsibility and intervene to put an end to this unprecedented serious Moroccan violation which, if not discouraged, will constitute an imminent danger as it may undermine a fundamental prerequisite to Africa’s peace, security and stability, namely the respect for the borders existing at the time of independence,” the Saharawi president insisted.
He also voiced disappointment with "the failure of the international community to fulfill its promises" with regard to the settlement of the conflict and accused France "to influence the Security Council to divert the peace process from its initial objective, and subsequently undermine the legitimate and inalienable right of our people to establish their own state on all of their national soil.” (SPS)
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