Pretoria (South Africa) 11 November 2020 (SPS)- The African National Congress and its allies, issued a press release Today calling for the total evacuation of Morocco from the occupied territories of the Saharawi Republic.
In a press release issued Today as an outcome of a workshop organised by the ANC, South African Communist Party, COSATU and the South African National Civic Organization (SANCO) on Western Sahara earlier November, the four organisation stressed that they will direct all their efforts “towards an end to the policy of occupation by the kingdom of Morocco for it to surrender and evacuate from all Saharawi territories.”
They condemned “the continuation of inhumane treatment of Saharawi political prisoners detained by Morocco, their incarceration under conditions that are brazenly in violation of their human rights as well as complete ignorance pleaded by morocco on its obligations under international law on the treatment of political prisoners especially under conditions of a COVID-19 pandemic.”
They further expressed their belief that “the situation merits urgent solidarity attention of the international community, which should secure their immediate, unconditional release as well as the restoration of human rights, their right to freedom and to struggle against the illegal and brutal colonial occupation by the Kingdom of Morocco.”
In this regard, the four organisations saluted Saharawi people’s “struggle and condemned the flagrant persecution and murderous violence of the Saharawis by Morocco and its continued occupation.”
They “demand an end to the torture, detention and forced disappearance and expulsion of Saharawis, driving them into refugee camps, under very difficult circumstances.”
They also “condemn the illegal exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara which continues relentlessly,” stressing that the UN “has an obligation to fully guarantee the safety and human rights of the Saharawi’s in the occupied territories,” stressing that they “will struggle in this regard using all mechanisms to ensure guarantees for the full protection of these rights.”
On another hand, they expressed “deep concern at the hypocrisy of some African Union (AU) member states, who gave in to the readmission of Morocco into the AU, in violation of its values embodied in the AU constitutive act, ignoring the history of brutality of colonialism in their countries.”
Aware that Morocco remains impervious to all moral appeals for decolonisation, refusing to implement the UN resolutions and to hold the referendum on self-determination, the four Organisation affirmed they “will not give up supporting Saharawi struggle for complete liberation, as you did not give up supporting ours.”
They indicated that they are fully “cognisant that our solidarity support for decolonisation of your occupied territories by Morocco and your country’s complete freedom from occupation, will contribute to lasting peace in the African continent, cement strong ties of friendship and cooperation between our countries and people.”
They congratulated “H.E. Mohamed Yeslem Beisat, on his appointment as the Ambassador of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic to Pretoria and reiterate our longstanding solidarity commitment to internationalism with the people of Western Sahara, for the right to sovereignty and independence, taking into account our support for the right to self-determination of Western Sahara and its people in line with UN decisions within the confines of international law.”
They finally presented their “deepest and heartfelt condolences on the untimely passing of the late previous Saharawi Ambassador to South Africa, Radhi Sghaiar Bachir, “who served his country with enormous distinction, placing everything towards cementing strong bonds of solidarity between our people.” (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)