Guterres “Deeply concerned” Over Ongoing Deteriorating Situation in Occupied Western Sahara
UN Chief, Antonio Guterres, expressed his “deep concern” over the ongoing deteriorating situation in the occupied Sahrawi territories, due to the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by Morocco, while remaining “convinced” that a fair, sustainable and mutually acceptable political solution could be reached, that ensures the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
In a report on Western Sahara covering the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, under agenda item 58: “Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,” released Saturday, Guterres said “I remain deeply concerned about the evolving dynamics in Western Sahara. The ongoing deterioration is both alarming and unsustainable, requiring urgent action to reverse this trend and prevent further escalation.”
Addressing Moroccan violations in the occupied territories, the UN Secretary-General noted in his report that Morocco “has continued blocking UN Human Rights Commissioner’s access to the territory since 2015, ignoring repeated requests and defying Security Council resolutions, including the latest resolution 2756 (2024).”
In this regard, he underlined that “the lack of independent, impartial, comprehensive and regular human rights monitoring remains a major barrier to fully assessing the situation,” adding that “reports indicate international observers, including parliamentarians, researchers, journalists and lawyers continue facing access restrictions, with dozens denied entry or expelled during this reporting period.”
Guterres also highlighted in his report the Moroccan violations against 79 Sahrawi activists, along with abuses connected to alleged “coastal development projects” involving massive land seizures, private property destruction and forced population displacements.
As regard the Sahrawi prisoners from the “Gdeim Izik” group who remain scattered across prisons outside Western Sahara serving lengthy sentences, Guterres reported that the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded in its November 2024 report that Morocco’s occupying government “has failed to implement its 2023/23 opinion and highlighted worsening prison conditions, including solitary confinement, family contact bans and limited medical access.”
