Basque Parliament Adopts Declaration Supporting Sahrawi Self-Determination

Political parties and coalition groups within the Basque Parliament in Spain unanimously adopted a declaration on Thursday advocating for the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and condemning Morocco’s “illegal occupation” of Sahrawi territories.

According to Spanish media sources, the intergroup “Peace and Freedom for the Sahrawi People” in the Basque Parliament garnered support from the PNV, EH Bildu, PP, and Grupo Mixto-Sumar in endorsing this declaration, which underscores the “illegal” nature of the occupation of Western Sahara and affirms “the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination.”

“The text was presented to the media by representatives from the PNV, EH Bildu, PP, and Grupo Mixto-Sumar, and was approved in commemoration of the 49th anniversary of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic,” reported the Spanish news agency Europa Press.

Through this declaration, Basque lawmakers assert that Western Sahara is “a non-autonomous territory subject to international law” and that its occupation is “illegal.” They emphasize that “the exercise of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination must be upheld.”

Moreover, the declaration states that the Polisario Front is “the legitimate and sole representative of the Sahrawi people, as recognized by the UN and the international community.”

In addition, the Basque Parliament calls for “scrupulous respect for human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara” and demands an end to the human rights violations against Sahrawis.

The document also denounces “the plundering” of the Sahrawi people’s natural resources, urging all parties involved in the conflict to “fully respect” the ruling of the European Court of Justice dated October 4, 2024, which invalidates the agreements concerning agriculture and fishing between the European Union and Morocco.

Furthermore, it calls on the United Nations to “promptly facilitate a just and definitive resolution to the conflict in Western Sahara,” a resolution that “entails implementing the right to self-determination for the Sahrawi people through a referendum.”

Finally, Basque lawmakers urge Basque institutions to “continue and strengthen solidarity and humanitarian support” for Sahrawi civilians. They express their appreciation for local solidarity associations and groups working “for friendship with the Sahrawi people, whose only goal is to achieve a free future.”