Latest news with #UN-supervised
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
The 50-year battle for Western Sahara
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Britain has become the latest country to back a plan to give limited autonomy to the disputed territory of Western Sahara, while keeping it under Moroccan control. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the plan, proposed by Morocco, was "the most credible, viable and pragmatic" way to resolve one of Africa's longest-running and most frustrating regional conflicts. The dispute over Western Sahara – roughly 100,000 square miles of sparsely populated land to the south of Morocco and Algeria, and to the west of Mauritania – has become an "intricate" and "multifaceted political, diplomatic, and military contest", said Modern Diplomacy. It's an area "rich in Moroccan culture, Hassani heritage and natural resources", and, following the withdrawal of Spain's colonial forces in 1975, both Morocco and the Algeria-supported, pro-independence Polisario Front claimed it as theirs. Years of low-level fighting ensued until, in 1991, a UN-supervised ceasefire was agreed that left roughly three-quarters of the territory under Moroccan control. The remaining strip is controlled by Polisario, which has declared a "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic". For the past 30 years, the UN has been maintaining a peacekeeping mission in the Western Sahara to "monitor the humanitarian and security situation" and ensure compliance with the ceasefire agreement. But "the Polisario Front has not yet adhered to the decisions and recommendations of the UN mission". In 2007, Morocco submitted its Autonomy Initiative to the UN, proposing that Western Sahara manage its own internal affairs, while Morocco retains control over defence, foreign policy and currency. Though the initiative was warmly received by several African, Arab and European countries, it failed to get formal backing. Then in 2020, during Donald Trump's first presidential term, the US shifted position and recognised Moroccan sovereignty, in a quid pro quo for Morocco joining the Abraham Accords and normalising relations with Israel. Following the US lead, France declared backing for Morocco's plan last year, ending its "long-standing position of neutrality", said Bloomberg. Spain, Germany, as well as many Gulf States and Egypt have also backed the plan. Since US recognition of its sovereignty, Morocco has invested heavily in the region, sparking something of a development blitz. After years of conflict and diplomatic stalemate, the area is emerging "as a hotspot for investment, drawing European and American firms interested in fishing, agriculture and infrastructure projects", said The Independent. "The Western Sahara has gone from a disputed territory that was radioactive to foreign investors to an increasingly normal region that's receiving a growing flow of capital," Riccardo Fabiani, project director for North Africa at the International Crisis Group, told Bloomberg. Growing international support for Morocco's plan has left Algeria and the Polisario Front "fuming". The group – which some US lawmakers want listed as a terrorist organisation – has vowed to step up resistance and has claimed recent attacks against Moroccan forces near the Algerian border. Polisario has also "taken its fight to international courts", said The Independent. It argues that Morocco "does not have the right to trade resources belonging to the Sahrawi people, while the conflict remains unresolved". But alternative solutions seem unlikely. Last year, according to Reuters, the UN envoy for Western Sahara floated the idea of partitioning the territory to "allow for the creation, on the one hand, of an independent state in the southern part and, on the other hand, the integration of the rest of the territory as part of Morocco". Both Morocco and the Polisario Front rejected the proposal out of hand.
Saba Yemen
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Ministry of Justice, Human Rights Condemns US Aggression's Crime Against Migrants in Saada Shelter
Sana'a – Saba: The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights condemned in the strongest terms the ongoing crimes committed by US aggression against civilians, facilities, and civilian infrastructure in Yemen. In a statement obtained by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), the ministry denounced the latest US airstrikes targeting a UN-supervised shelter housing African migrants in Saada Governorate, which resulted in over 200 migrant casualties. The ministry described these crimes as cowardly acts that violate all divine laws, international conventions, and moral/humanitarian principles, adding to the US's black record of targeting civilians under false pretexts. It emphasized that such crimes are not isolated, citing previous US attacks in Sana'a, Hodeidah, and Saada that killed/injured 1,313 civilians and caused widespread infrastructure destruction—a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. The ministry affirmed these as war crimes and crimes against humanity requiring urgent international accountability, calling on the UN and global community to: 1. End their silence and take concrete action to halt US violations 2. Impose political/legal pressure on the US government and allies 3. Ensure compliance with international law It reiterated Yemen's legitimate right to defend its sovereignty and citizens under the UN Charter, stressing that targeting civilians constitutes an imprescriptible crime. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (Local)
Express Tribune
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Pakistan rejects India's Kashmir claim at UN, calls for plebiscite
Listen to article Pakistan has once again dismissed India's claim that Jammu and Kashmir is an 'integral part' of the country, reiterating that the region remains disputed and its status is recognised as such by the United Nations and the international community. 'Every official UN map depicts Jammu and Kashmir as disputed territory,' said Gul Qaiser Sarwani, Counselor at Pakistan's Mission to the UN, while exercising his right of reply at the conclusion of a high-level UN Security Council debate on peacekeeping operations. Sarwani's response came after Indian Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish repeated New Delhi's assertion that 'Kashmir has been, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India.' The Indian envoy made the statement in reaction to a speech by Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, who had urged the 15-member Council to implement its own resolutions that call for a UN-supervised plebiscite to determine the future of Jammu and Kashmir. 'No amount of obfuscation can change the legal, political and historical reality — Jammu and Kashmir is not, and has never been, a so-called 'integral' part of India,' Sarwani said. He described the region as a 'disputed territory,' whose 'final disposition' must be decided by its people through a plebiscite, as mandated by multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Sarwani criticised India's heavy military presence in the region, stating that more than 900,000 troops and paramilitary forces are deployed in what he called 'the densest occupation in history.' He further stated that ore than 100,000 Kashmiris have been killed since 1989 and highlighted India's gross violation of human rights, citing reports recorded by the UN. Responding to Indian allegations of cross-border terrorism, the Pakistani diplomat said, 'It is most ironic that India, which is committing the worst form of state terrorism in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, is portraying itself as the victim.' He added that occupiers and colonisers often label legitimate struggles for self-determination as terrorism. Sarwani went on to remark that India was orchestrating subversion and targeted killings in foreign countries, and highlighted that India funds and supports anti-Pakistan groups including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), and the Majeed Brigade. Pakistan has consistently maintained that a fair and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute lies in the implementation of UN resolutions and the holding of a plebiscite under UN supervision. Earlier, On the occasion of Pakistan Day, the illegally detained Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Masarrat Aalam Butt, along with other Hurriyat leaders and organizations have extended their warm congratulations to the people and government of Pakistan, praying for the nation's continued progress, stability and prosperity. According to Kashmir Media Service, in a message from the notorious Tihar Jail in New Delhi, Masarrat Aalam Butt expressed solidarity with the people of Pakistan, describing the country as a beacon of hope for oppressed Kashmiris and the entire Muslim Ummah. He emphasised that Pakistan, founded on a noble ideology, serves as a great blessing for Muslims worldwide.
Express Tribune
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'Diplomacy best way to resolve Kashmir dispute'
WASHINGTON: Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh emphasized that diplomacy was the best way to resolving global issues, including the Kashmir dispute. He made these remarks during a seminar held at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington. "The durable settlement of the Kashmir issue and a hope for lasting peace can be best accomplished through diplomacy," the ambassador said. Ambassador Sheikh stated, "We need to create a situation where India and Pakistan can have a dialogue which is meaningful and consequential. That's the only way forward." Highlighting the similarities of the conflicts in Kashmir and Palestine, Ambassador Sheikh urged the international community to refocus its attention and play a proactive role in resolving these long-standing conflicts. "The situation in Palestine and Kashmir affords us this opportunity to accord them a similar status. And if they are both taken together owing to a common genesis, each will reinforce or strengthen the other issue. "The steps taken by Indian government on and after August 5, 2019, are not legally tenable," the ambassador said. In this context, the ambassador highlighted relevance of UN Resolution 122, adopted on January 24, 1957, that reaffirmed the international nature of the Kashmir dispute and unambiguously pronounced that any unilateral action by either of the two parties to the dispute would not be a substitute to the prescribed solution of UN-supervised plebiscite. The speakers at the seminar reaffirmed their unwavering support to the oppressed people of Indian-Occupied Kashmir, and urged the international community to push for a settlement of the decades-old dispute. The participants highlighted key legal, political and security dimensions of Kashmir dispute, drawing the international community's attention to its ramifications. They also underscored India's persistent refusal to honour its commitments, the unfulfilled promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the global community, and the implications of India's unilateral action in 2019, which further destabilized the region. The two-session event drew a diverse audience, including members of civil society, Pakistani-Americans (particularly from Azad Jammu and Kashmir), media representatives, and students from various universities across Washington, D.C. Special messages from Pakistan's President and the Prime Minister as well as the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister were read out on the occasion, followed by a documentary showcasing the struggle of the people of Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
