Italian Solidarity Network Condemns Moroccan Violations in Western Sahara
The Sahrawi Network of Italian Solidarity with the Sahrawi People renewed on Tuesday its deep concern over the Moroccan occupation’s ongoing violation of international law in Western Sahara, which the United Nations classifies among the non-self-governing territories listed under the Fourth Committee on Decolonization.
In a statement, the Network affirmed its categorical rejection of all forms of aggression against the Sahrawi people, considering that these violations are in flagrant contradiction with the rules of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions, stressing its rejection of attempts at manipulation and distortion targeting official positions and UN documents, particularly those linked to the conflict issues, which are supposed to contribute to pushing towards peaceful and just settlements.
The Network expressed its surprise at what it described as the “ambiguity” characterizing the position of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). It stressed that MINURSO’s delay in expressing concern over field developments raises serious questions, given Moroccan occupation’s ongoing aggressive actions since November 2020, in a violation of the ceasefire signed in 1991 between the Polisario Front and Morocco as part of the UN peace plan, according to the Network.
The Network also expressed its regret at the absence of clear positions from the UN Security Council regarding this violation, which it says has contributed to undermining UN’s long-standing efforts to organize a self-determination referendum, the very objective for which the MINURSO mission was originally established.
The document noted that the ongoing situation has led to the “disruption” of the political process and the obstruction of any progress toward a peaceful solution, amid escalating field tensions and a widening scope of violations that the occupation continues to entrench.
