After nearly 30 years of UNSC stalling with regard to the referendum promised to the Saharawi people, it is long past time to reevaluate MINURSO. The failure of the UN to move forward with the process has served to encourage Morocco to ramp up its abuses and violations throughout occupied Western Sahara. The situation is growing increasingly tense. To avoid renewed conflict, the UN must take action to assure the Saharawi people that law and human rights will be respected and upheld in the region by the international community.
Unfortunately, the stagnation of MINURSO is allowing the Moroccan government to act with impunity. Morocco continues to threaten basic human rights in the region and is currently expanding its movements and operations in the buffer strip. States must begin to follow through on their commitments to make progress in Western Sahara. MINURSO needs to be reconfigured in a way that successfully delivers on a referendum and provides the Saharawi people with a credible path towards self-determination. Also, the UNSC should place the dignity of the people of Western Sahara at the centre of the recalibrated political process and be explicit with Morocco that the continual human rights violations are unacceptable.
This renewed political process must begin immediately. The failure to appoint a new Personal Envoy is emblematic of the incessant delays made by the UN. The international community is failing to make good on its promise of a break to the status quo. The UNSC must take the issues in Western Sahara seriously. It is of the utmost importance that the UNSC and Secretary General move quickly to renew the political process and move Western Sahara forward.
Help us bring the urgency of this issue to light.
Please call or write to your MP to express your views on the need for public support for the Saharawi people. Use your own words in these communications to have a greater impact.
E-mail or write to your MP. You can find your MP and their contact details here.
Ask your MP to write to the Foreign Secretary raising your concerns.
Points to make:
You are concerned about the continuing human rights abuses in Western Sahara and the failure of the UN Security Council to move the self-determination process forward.
The UK should use its position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to address the matter.
The Security Council should:
● Immediately renew the political process for Western Sahara.
● Reconfigure MINURSO to guarantee a path forward for Sahrawi self-determination.
● Prioritise the human rights and dignity of the Saharawi people in the renewed political process.
● Ensure Moroccan compliance with past international agreements.
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
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