Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), February 13, 2025 (SPS) – Member of the National Secretariat, Minister of Water and Environment, Adda Ahmeim, drew the attention of his African counterparts to the colonial situation prevailing in Western Sahara, inviting them "to exert pressure on Morocco to end the indiscriminate exploitation of the natural resources in the occupied part of the Sahrawi Republic."
During his speech this Wednesday at the International Conference on Irrigation and Climate Change, the Sahrawi minister stated that "the Sahrawi people face significant challenges in accessing and developing sustainable irrigation systems due to the lack of adequate infrastructure, the ongoing illegal occupation of significant parts of their territory, and the indiscriminate exploitation of their natural resources by foreign actors, especially from Europe."
The Minister of Water and Environment emphasized that "the development of irrigation systems plays a vital role in ensuring food security, promoting sustainable agriculture, and improving economic resilience in Africa, especially in the face of climate change challenges that have caused shifts in precipitation patterns, rising temperatures, and prolonged droughts."
Furthermore, the Minister of Water and Environment of the Sahrawi Republic provided an updated overview of the North African region, where "dry and semi-arid conditions prevail, and irrigation systems are essential for maintaining agricultural production and mitigating the negative effects of climate change."
"The countries in this region have invested in large-scale irrigation projects. However, the Sahrawi Republic, geographically known as Western Sahara, constitutes a special and urgent case in light of the illegal occupation and illicit exploitation of its natural resources by external actors, who continue to deprive the Sahrawi people of their right to live a promising and sustainable future," he concluded.
