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Ya Biladi
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
UN Decolonization talks : Rabat mobilizes allies, Algiers pushes for referendum
As in previous years, the United Nations General Assembly's Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) once again became the scene of a heated exchange between Morocco and Algeria over the Western Sahara conflict, last Tuesday. In her address, Morocco's representative Majda Moutchou emphasized that the «positive international momentum» favors a «realistic, lasting, and consensual political solution». She pointed out that more than 118 countries, including three permanent members of the Security Council, support Morocco's autonomy plan, first proposed in 2007. Moutchou criticized the committee's limited framing of the issue strictly through the lens of decolonization, arguing that this «does not reflect historical reality or current developments on the ground». She also stressed that the intransigence of a single state «should not obstruct» the political process led by the UN Secretary-General, urging the committee to take into account evolving international legal standards. For its part, Algeria called on the United Nations to take firm action to eradicate what it considers the «last bastions of colonialism». While the UN has acknowledged since the early 2000s the impossibility of organizing a referendum of self-determination due to fundamental disagreements between Morocco and the Polisario Front over voter eligibility, Algeria's representative Amar Bendjama renewed his call for such a referendum. Bendjama criticized the continued failure of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to organize the vote since its creation nearly four decades ago. He urged the committee to «use all available means to complete the decolonization process». Bendjama also attempted to portray Algeria as a neutral party, stating that «the only path» to resolving the conflict lies in resuming direct, serious negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front. The session also featured interventions from elected officials representing Saharan provinces and civil society activists. Ghalla Bahiya, Vice President of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, stated that «the autonomy plan presented by Morocco to the United Nations in 2007 offers a practical, balanced, and dignified solution», granting a high degree of autonomy to the Moroccan Sahara. Mohamed Abba, representing the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra regional council, highlighted major infrastructure projects in the region and emphasized investment in human development, noting that over 36.5 million dirhams had been allocated to education, health, and youth engagement. The situation in the Tindouf camps also drew attention. Touria Hamain, of the Association for the Freedom of Women Detained in the Tindouf Camps, denounced forced marriages, gender-based violence, and restrictions on freedom of movement and expression. She condemned what she described as the «complicity of the host state», calling on the international community to demand an independent investigation into systematic human rights violations in Algeria. Zine El Abidine El Ouali, representing the African Forum for Research and Studies on Human Rights, condemned the diversion and sale of humanitarian aid, as well as child recruitment in the camps. Activist Saad Benani declared that «the Polisario Front is not a voice for peace, but an armed separatist group that resorts to terrorism, repression, and ideological manipulation». On the other side, the Polisario's representative, Sidi Mohamed Omar, attempted to downplay the significance of Morocco's autonomy plan, dismissing it as «a farce and a maneuver by the occupying state to legitimize its illegal occupation of Western Sahara». Ahmed Mohamed Fall, representing the organization CODESA, echoed this sentiment, claiming that members of his group «face repression, retaliation, siege, and isolation». He called for urgent international intervention «to activate humanitarian law» and urged the establishment of a UN protection mechanism. Broad Support for the Autonomy Plan Several delegations, including those from Saint Lucia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo, the Comoros, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, expressed their support for Morocco's autonomy initiative, describing it as a «realistic and viable solution» to ensure peace and stability in the region. Other delegations urged the concerned parties, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front, to remain engaged in the political process. The representative of Antigua and Barbuda noted that recent backing of the autonomy plan by a UN Security Council member further legitimizes it as a «practical path to a solution». The Dominican Republic's representative encouraged all parties to seize the growing momentum around the initiative to reach a lasting and mutually acceptable agreement. Equatorial Guinea's representative called the Moroccan initiative «a constructive path to resolve this regional conflict» and praised Morocco's efforts in social and economic development in the Sahara, particularly in sustainable development, environmental protection, and the promotion of local culture. In the same vein, Guinea-Bissau's representative said his country's decision to open consulates in Laâyoune and Dakhla was a result of Morocco's commitment to the well-being of the Saharan population. He also voiced concern over the conditions faced by refugees in the Tindouf camps and condemned human rights violations there, particularly those affecting women and children. Kuwait's representative, speaking on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), welcomed UN efforts to resolve the conflict, including those of the Secretary-General and his personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura. He stressed the importance of respecting Morocco's sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for the creation of conditions conducive to renewed dialogue. The Polisario Front: Familiar Allies Weigh In As in past sessions, Venezuela stressed the urgent need to maintain a «political horizon» and to «struggle against colonialism, and expressed solidarity with the people of Western Sahara». Nicaragua described the issue of the Sahara as part of the «global battle against colonialism». Zimbabwe and Namibia reaffirmed their solidarity with the «Sahrawi people» in their «struggle for freedom, independence, and self-determination». South Africa's representative, echoing Algeria's stance, claimed that MINURSO had failed to fulfill its primary mandate of organizing a referendum and called for urgent UN measures to uphold this «long-promised right». The representative of Timor-Leste noted that economic interests «have complicated the political process and contributed to the perpetuation of the status quo». Finally, Belize expressed hope to see «the Sahrawi people, secure in their homeland, with a future that they determine themselves».
Morocco World
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Morocco Slams Algeria's ‘Selective' Stance on Western Sahara at UN Council
Doha – Morocco's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN launched a scathing critique against Algeria's position on MINURSO's mandate during a UN Security Council debate, denouncing what she called 'flagrant and selective double standards' in the Algerian approach to human rights monitoring. 'It reflects a masterclass in selective political manipulation,' Majda Moutchou charged, responding to the Algerian ambassador's intervention regarding human rights monitoring in MINURSO's mandate. She accused Algeria of 'suddenly discovering a new passion for human rights and international law.' 'The mandate has been clearly defined by the Security Council, and any attempt by the Algerian delegation to distort its role is either misinformed or deliberately misleading,' Moutchou asserted, emphasizing MINURSO's clear mandate to supervise the ceasefire. Moutchou dismantled the Algerian position by pointing out that seven out of eleven UN peacekeeping operations lack human rights monitoring mandates. 'We wonder why the Algerian delegation, demonstrating obvious double standards, focuses solely on MINURSO while turning a blind eye to other peacekeeping operations,' she declared. The Moroccan diplomat revealed that the Security Council had 'categorically rejected' proposals to include a human rights monitoring mechanism in MINURSO's mandate in October 2024. 'This rejection wasn't accidental: it reaffirmed that the human rights situation in the Moroccan Sahara doesn't require such a mechanism,' she stated. Turning the tables on Algeria, Moutchou demanded answers about 'a far more pressing issue: the Tindouf camps on Algerian territory, where the population lives under daily oppression, deprived of fundamental rights and subjected to severe movement restrictions and flagrant violations of international law.' 'The UN must pay attention to all these aspirations, without exception or selectivity, including on the territory of states that advocate self-determination for others while systematically denying it to oppressed peoples on their own territory,' she charged. The diplomat exposed what she termed a 'troubling contradiction' in Algeria's stance on self-determination, arguing that Algeria wielded it 'as a political weapon against Morocco's territorial integrity' while ignoring 'legitimate aspirations of other peoples still living under foreign occupation and oppression.' 'The Sahara has always been an integral part of Morocco,' Moutchou concluded, describing this as a reflection of 'centuries of historical, cultural and geographical links' rather than a recent claim. The heated exchange occurred during a public debate on strengthening UN peacekeeping operations' adaptability, where Morocco's representative systematically countered Algeria's attempts to modify MINURSO's established mandate. This diplomatic clash comes as Morocco continues to gather international support for its position. In a meeting yesterday with UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura in Rabat, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita reiterated Morocco's commitment to a political solution based exclusively on the Autonomy Plan, while respecting the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Meanwhile, the American Enterprise Institute has criticized MINURSO's ongoing mission, with scholar Michael Rubin pointing out in a recent commentary that 'Thirty-four years and billions of dollars later, MINURSO has not even conducted a census.' Rubin further charged that the separatist Polisario Front 'holds wives and children as hostages to prevent refugee resettlement' in the Tindouf camps. Read also: Mali Slams Algeria for 'Persistent' Interference in its Internal Affairs Tags: AlgeriaMoroccoUN councilWestern sahara
