Western Sahara Still an Unresolved Decolonization Case After 50 Years, European Voices Warn
The Western Sahara issue remains an open decolonization file 50 years on, European intellectuals said, citing continued Moroccan occupation and policies aimed at imposing a fait accompli through the plundering of resources and the denial of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
Spanish writer and journalist Carlos Cristobal, in an article titled “Western Sahara: 50 Years After” published on the “Don’t Forget Western Sahara” platform, said the conflict stems from the obstruction of international law implementation on the ground, despite Western Sahara’s status as a Non-Self-Governing Territory.
His analysis indicated that an approach characterized by “misinformation and opacity” has led to a political deadlock by ignoring the principle of self-determination, including the option of independence.
Thus, he said, the crisis is not technical or negotiable, but the direct result of a continued policy of imposing facts on the ground and disregarding international legality.
In the same context, writer Elena Etchegoyen, in an analytical article titled “Western Sahara: 50 Years Between International Law and the Consolidation of Occupation,” said that the situation in Western Sahara represents a model of an “illegal but entrenched” status, where the Moroccan authorities continue to impose a ground reality based on the exploitation of natural resources outside any legal framework, leading to the deprivation of the Sahrawi people of their legitimate rights.
She also stressed that the resilience of the Sahrawi people under these conditions is a key factor in maintaining the visibility of the issue on the international stage and reflects a continued commitment to legitimate rights, despite the prolonged nature of the conflict and the continued policies of occupation based on establishing an imbalanced reality that keeps the territory in a state of marginalization and prevents the establishment of genuine justice in the management of its affairs.
Green Party Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Cristina Guarda strongly criticized the continued exploitation of Western Sahara’s resources and the disregard for rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in this regard, saying the situation poses a clear contradiction with the European Union’s (EU) stated discourse on defending human rights and the rule of law.
The parliamentarian concluded that the current status quo is directly linked to policies intended to consolidate territorial and economic control while excluding the historical and legal rights of the Sahrawi people.
