To mark the 20th anniversary of the ceasefire, WSC along with a group of MPs and campaigners delivered a letter to Downing St, calling for action for Western Sahara. You can see the letter which was also printed in the Guardian here (3rd one down). This was followed by a panel discussion on Western Sahara and the Arab Spring in parliament, hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Western Sahara. A report of the event is below.
Paul Whiteway from Independent Diplomat set the issue of Western Sahara in the context of the Arab Spring, noting the Saharawi Gdem Izik protest camp of November 2010 and making comparisons with other countries, ending with optimism that the Arab Spring could provide the impetus for self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.
Lamine Bali from the POLISARIO Front then gave his perspective on the issues, expressing the frustration on the Sahrawi people but also praising the UK for its recent efforts to move the situation forward.
Dr Catriona Drew of SOAS then outlined the legal situation, outlining the fact that legally the Sahrawis are in a good position, however expressed some pessimism when looking at legal trends in other situations such as that of Palestine.
Carne Ross, former British Diplomat who was responsible for Western Sahara at the Security Council and founder of Independent Diplomat then said a few words from the floor and gave us 4 grounds for optimism: the recent case of South Sudan; the Arab spring; UN Special Envoy for Western Sahara Christopher Ross, and; the encouraging UK position. Carne then praised the WSC, stating that he had never seen an organisation achieve so much on an issue!
Then followed a discussion from the floor, on a variety of issues. Cathy Jamison MP concluded the meeting by recalling how she got involved with the issue of Western Sahara, through organising a group of children from the refugee camps to visit her home town. Cathy ended with a call to action, encouraging people to make sure their MP takes action.
WESTERN SAHARA CAMPAIGN UK
The Western Sahara Campaign works in solidarity with the Saharawi people to generate political support in order to advance their right to self-determination and to promote their human rights.
Our role is to lobby the UK Government and the EU. You can help us to ensure the UK does not ignore the voice of the Saharawi people.
Follow the news about EU's illegal fisheries in Western Sahara
