Pretoria, (South Africa) 4 August 2024 (SPS)— South African Ambassador and ANC member, Phatse Justice Piitso, criticized France's recent endorsement of Morocco's controversial autonomy plan for Western Sahara, in his article titled “Imperial Echoes – The Struggle for Western Sahara and the New Colonialism,” arguing that France's position highlights a deep-seated fear of Africa’s political, social, and economic independence.
Piitso contends that “France still fears the political, social and economic independence of Africa, while the African people of the Sahel are still confronting the empire that no longer exists but refuses to die.” He emphasizes that “the African continent will remain incomplete without the freedom and dignity of the people of Western Sahara. We are the shining lights of our struggles for freedom.”
The South African diplomat underscores the harsh realities faced by the Sahrawi people, noting that their quest for freedom and equality has met with significant resistance from the Moroccan colonial regime, which receives substantial political, financial, and military support from the United States, the European Union, and Israel. He sustains that “most of the advanced countries of the western world are complicit in the atrocities of genocide committed against the indigenous people of the Sahrawi and Palestine.”
Ambassador Piitso further argues that the French metropole, along with Morocco, aims to “plunder and exploit the material economic resources of the indigenous people of Sahrawi, benefiting from currency arrangements and the exportation of raw materials.”
Moreover he asserts that France, Spain, and Germany, which he refers to as “the three vagabonds of the European entente,” are unable to play a constructive role in resolving the Sahel conflict due to their massive economic interests in the occupied territories. He describes this as “the highest price the suffering people of Western Sahara have to endure, in the hands of forces of imperialism and neo-colonialism.”
In closing, Piitso extends his support to “the beautiful men and women of the desert temple of the Sahel, the peace-loving people of the independent Republic of Sahrawi.” He concludes that “history will not judge you on how much suffering you endured in your struggles for freedom and dignity, but by your indomitable acts of heroism and resilience in the face of adversity. You are the children of the great desert kingdom of humanity.”
He reflects on the broader human struggle, stating that “the greatest testimonies of the history of the struggles for the liberation of humanity are not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. The victory of the struggles of the people of Western Sahara is the victory of the struggles of the people of the world.” He remains hopeful that “in our lifetime, we shall witness the triumphs of the human spirit and courage as we strive to build a better world for all. This is a task bestowed by history to all generations of mankind.” (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)