Western Sahara — Africa’s last colony

By Kamal Fadel

Western Sahara was a Spanish colony between 1884 and 1975. While the Spanish were preparing to withdraw, the two neighbouring countries, Morocco and Mauritania, invaded and occupied the mineral rich territory. Western Sahara is rich in phosphates and other mineral resources. It has one of the best fishing grounds in the world and a great potential for offshore oil. Western Sahara is a similar case to East Timor. It is a decolonisation issue that has been on the United Nations agenda since 1965. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1975 that neither Morocco nor Mauritania had sovereignty over Western Sahara before the Spanish colonisation and that its people were entitled to the right of self-determination.

The invasion of Western Sahara provoked a bloody war with the Saharawi people under the leadership of the Polisario Front, the movement that was seeking independence from Spain. Polisario defeated the Mauritanians who have since signed a peace treaty with the Saharawis.

As a result of the conflict, more than 165,000 Saharawis fled their homeland and they have been living in makeshift refugee camps situated in the harsh desert of the southwest Algeria for the past 30 years. Despite the difficulties of exile, Saharawis have achieved a great deal in terms of education, health and building modern state institutions that provide for the exercise of the true democracy and the enhancement of the role of women in the Saharawi society.

In 1991, the Polisario and Morocco agreed to a ceasefire as part of a UN and Organisation of African Unity settlement plan. For the past 14 years the United Nations has been involved in finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict through the organisation of a referendum on self-determination.

Despite numerous reaffirmations of the referendum proposal by the UN Security Council and the significant efforts of the former US Secretary of State James Baker III, Morocco continues to prevent the referendum from taking place. The UN mission in the territory has already cost more than US $600 million; however, there are no encouraging signs of a speedy resolution to this long lasting conflict. Mr Baker has resigned as Kofi Annan's envoy to express his frustration at the lack of cooperation from Morocco.

During 30 years of occupation, the Saharawi people have conducted their struggle for freedom within international norms. They have never used terrorism to attract attention to their plight. Many see the Saharawis as an example of a secular Muslim nation that celebrates the role of women which could be a bridge between the West and the Middle East.

Unfortunately, some members of the UN Security Council have been very tolerant of the Moroccan attitude. This makes it seem that Morocco's brutality is being rewarded, while the patience and good attitude of the Saharawi people continue to be ignored.

For us Saharawis it is hard to fathom why our moderate and pragmatic attitude has not attracted a positive response from the influential powers when our aim is to establish a modern state based on democracy and respect of human rights. This is the same objective that wars were waged to accomplish in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. Morocco is trying hard to convince the world community of a solution that would legitimise its illegal occupation of our country. Such a solution will be doomed to fail as it is undemocratic and illegitimate, contrary to the aspirations of the Saharawi people and the verdict of the International Court of Justice. It will also be in contravention of the UN decolonisation process as well as the UN resolutions in support of the right of self-determination for the Saharawi people.

In recent months, peaceful demonstrations have been taking place in the occupied areas of Western Sahara to demand the respect of human rights and in support of independence of the territory. Morocco's response was to arrest, torture and jail for longer terms, many of the demonstrators and their leaders.

The rejection by the Saharawis in the occupied zones of Morocco's presence is quite telling. It shows that our people are determined to achieve their legitimate objectives of freedom and independence and that Morocco's policy of the carrot and stick in the hope of winning the hearts and minds of the Saharawis for the past 30 years has failed dramatically.

As a gesture of goodwill, the Saharawi authorities decided in August of this year to release all the Moroccan prisoners of war held by the Polisario during the war with Morocco. But the Saharawi prisoners of war held by Morocco as well as Saharawi political prisoners remain in Moroccan jails.

Furthermore, 165,000 Saharawi refugees continue to endure life in the Algerian desert waiting to return home after 30 years of separation from their families and their homeland.

The resolution of the conflict in Western Sahara is easy if there is a sincere will and determination from the members of the UN Security Council. Major powers need to pressure Morocco to allow a just and lasting solution to a conflict that has been a source of instability and misery for a long time in an important region of the world. A just solution to this conflict will be of benefit to the peoples of Western Sahara and Morocco. The Maghreb region will enjoy stability, peace and progress which are needed in the current international environment.

An independent Western Sahara state, with its immense natural resources and the thousands of its educated young people armed with the experience gained during exile will certainly have a promising future and could be a beacon of hope in that region of Africa.

What you can do to help

Kamal Fadel is the Polisario representative to Australia.

For further information

November 2005 contents