Washington, June 17, 2016 (SPS) - The Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Kingsley Mamabolo, called upon the UN to expeditiously implement various UN and AU decisions to actualize without further delay the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, in a statement Monday in a statement Monday on Western Sahara in the UN Special Committee on Decolonization.
Mr. Mamabolo regretted the decision by the Government of Morocco to expel 84 international civil servants, including African Union personnel, from the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
In this regard, he expressed South Africa’s disappointment at the failure of the Security Council to respond firmly and decisively against the Government of Morocco’s decision, which put one of the UN missions in jeopardy.
He also regretted the repeated flouting of international law by the Kingdom of Morocco by hosting international conferences in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, most notably the Crans Montana Forum.
The Permanent Representative of South Africa reiterated that the Kingdom of Morocco does not enjoy sovereignty or administrative power over Western Sahara. Therefore any illegal exploitation of mineral resources in the Western Sahara occupied territories has to be condemned.
He expressed South Africa’s deep concern about the worsening humanitarian situation, which is driven in part by the decrease in funding to support the refugees in the harsh conditions of the camps.
The Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations urged the UN Secretary-General and the UN to not allow the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism to pass without the people of Western Sahara enjoying their inalienable right to self-determination. (SPS)
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