Shaheed Al-Hafed, 16 November 2020 (SPS) - The Saharawi National Human Rights Commission (CONASADH) has warned against possible escalation of Moroccan attacks and violations of civilians’ humanitarian rights in Western Sahara.
In a letter addressed by its president, Abba Elhaisan, to President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, CONASADH called for immediately undertaking of the necessary measures to protect the Saharawi civilians under Moroccan occupation.
Below is the full text of the letter:
“H.E. Mr. Peter Maurer
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Geneva
Excellency,
The Saharawi National Human Rights Commission (CONASADH) addresses you this letter to draw your attention to the Moroccan Kingdom dangerous violation of the OAU-UN supervised cease-fire on Friday 13 November 2020 around 8:00 a.m. in the Guerguarat region, South-west Western Sahara.
The Moroccan army was targeting a group of Saharawi civilians who were demonstrating in front of the Moroccan-built illegal breach in Guerguarat. Saharawi Army of Liberation succeeded to safely evacuate the civilians, and to face the new Moroccan army’s aggression, in a legitimate use of the right to self-defense.
The Frente POLISARIO, which has in numerous occasions warned the United Nations and the international community against the various Moroccan violations committed in total impunity in Western Sahara since the seventies, has clearly warned in a letter sent by the President of the Saharawi Republic and Secretary General of the Frente POLISARIO, H.E. Mr. Brahim Ghali, that the Saharawi Army of Liberation will not allow any Moroccan military or “civilians” (usually criminals used for dirty work by the Moroccan army) to do any harm to the civilians, who are exercising their legitimate right to demonstrate for the closure of the illegal breach in Guerguarat. It must be recalled, that the breach was opened in an illegal military wall that is in itself a crime against humanity built by Morocco in the Occupied Zones of Western Sahara since the eighties.
Yesterday, Frente POLISARIO has officially declared that it is no more a party to the cease-fire agreement, since Morocco never respected it anyway, and the UN has not been able to impose the strict implementation of the abovementioned agreement, nor has it ever sanctioned or condemned the Moroccan various violations in the Occupied Territory.
Therefore, since the situation has completely changed, CONASADH is writing to you this letter Mr. President and to your organization to immediately undertake the necessary measures to protect the Saharawi civilians under Moroccan occupation, in compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention.
CONASADH is highly concerned about the Moroccan authorities of occupation irresponsible behaviors towards Saharawi civilians during the past period, and is even more worried of possible escalation of Moroccan attacks and violations of civilians’ humanitarian rights and human rights now.
CONASADH further draws your attention to the double dangerous situation lived by Saharawi political prisoners and civil prisoners in Moroccan jails. Many are usually victims to torture and harassment, beside the danger they are undergoing in these time of Covid-19.
It is big time for the ICRC to visit the Occupied Territory of Western Sahara to investigate the situation of the people of this last colony in Africa that it has never visited, except when it deployed efforts to release thousands of Moroccan prisoners, while we still count some 150 Saharawi POWs unaccounted for by Morocco.
I would highly appreciate receiving a positive response from you Mr. President on this matter, and I believe it is a big time to do something about this ignored war zone.
Accept, Mr. President, my highest consideration.
Abba Elhaisan
President of the Saharawi National Human Rights Commission (CONASADH)” (SPS)
062/SPS