Brussels (Belgium), December 10, 2024 (SPS) - The International Conference of Lawyers for Western Sahara concluded today, Tuesday, after two days of deliberations, focusing on the necessity of enabling the Sahrawi people to enjoy their resources.
The conference reiterated in its final statement the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination as the only means to complete the decolonization process in Western Sahara, emphasizing that the Moroccan presence in Western Sahara is "an occupying force" that employs violence to maintain its presence in flagrant violation of international law and legitimacy, which prohibits policies of annexation by force.
The conference stressed the responsibility of Spain, the European Union, and other countries regarding Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara through the use of force, and that they must not recognize Morocco's sovereignty over the territory. It called on these countries to refrain from supporting or cooperating with Morocco in its policies aimed at strengthening its presence and occupation of Western Sahara. Additionally, relations with Morocco should distinctly and explicitly differentiate between Moroccan territory and Western Saharan territory, and should not cooperate with or encourage any changes to the nature and demographics of the region.
The conference affirmed that the Polisario Front is the legitimate and sole representative of the Sahrawi people, possessing legal personality to advocate for their interests in international courts. It noted that the Sahrawi people enjoy full, permanent sovereignty over their natural resources and are the ones who determine and decide how to exploit them through their legitimate representative, the Polisario Front.
The conference condemned the crimes and serious human rights violations committed by the Moroccan occupying forces against the Sahrawi people, including population transfers, arbitrary arrests, retaliatory sham trials, targeting Sahrawi human rights defenders, racial discrimination against Sahrawis, and both armed and economic warfare.
The conference also criticized the European Union's passivity and silence in the face of war crimes perpetrated by the Moroccan occupation against the Sahrawis, considering it complicity, as this lenient stance encourages the continuation of Morocco's illegal occupation of Western Sahara.
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