Two NGOs Voice ‘Deep Concern’ Over Human Rights Crisis in Western Sahara
Two international NGOs have articulated their “deep concern” regarding the “persistent crisis” of human rights in Western Sahara, which remains occupied by Morocco. They are urging the Security Council to incorporate human rights monitoring into the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
“We are speaking out to express our profound concern about the ongoing human rights crisis in the occupied territory of Western Sahara, where the Sahrawi people endure an oppressive system that systematically denies them their rights,” stated the International Federation for the Protection of the Rights of Ethnic, Religious, Linguistic and Other Minorities (IFPRERLOM), alongside the International Youth and Students Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN). This joint declaration was presented by Sahrawi activist Amma Lahbib during the general debate on human rights situations at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council.
According to these two NGOs, “human rights defenders, journalists, and Sahrawi students are regularly targeted for denouncing or documenting abuses.”
The organizations further highlighted that “peaceful protesters face violence and intimidation, with many being subjected to arbitrary detention.”
“These actions are not isolated incidents; they reflect a policy aimed at silencing dissent and legitimate demands for self-determination,” assert the NGOs.
In this context, they urge the Human Rights Council to “fully embrace its role in assisting the people of Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa, and protecting their human rights.”
“The violations occurring in the occupied territory of Western Sahara, a non-autonomous region awaiting the exercise of its rights in accordance with UN resolutions, must not go unnoticed,” emphasize these human rights advocacy groups.
They call upon the High Commissioner and the Human Rights Council to “seize this opportunity to urge the Security Council to include human rights monitoring in MINURSO’s mandate, which remains the only modern UN mission without a human rights-related mandate.”
In a report concerning the situation in Western Sahara published in October, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his “concern” over the “persistent” lack of access for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) to the region.
He argued that “the absence of access to first-hand information, along with the lack of independent, impartial, comprehensive, and regular monitoring of the human rights situation, has hindered a thorough assessment of the conditions in the area.”
Guterres also confirmed that the OHCHR continues to receive reports of “restrictions, intimidation, and harassment targeting Sahrawi activists defending the right to self-determination,” indicating that “civic space is increasingly shrinking.”
