Geneva (UN Human Rights Council) 17 June 2026 (SPS) – The Chair of the Geneva Group in Support of Western Sahara, Ambassador Geraldo Saranga, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mozambique to Switzerland and to the UN in Geneva, affirmed that African independence will remain incomplete until the Sahrawi people fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination, characterizing the occupation of Western Sahara as "a gross violation of International Law and International Humanitarian Law (IHL)."
The statement was delivered during a high-level side-event titled "Western Sahara and the Right to Self-Determination: Challenges to International Legality," convened Yesterday by the Geneva Support Group for Western Sahara on the margins of the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Ambassador Saranga framed the Sahrawi struggle as a core issue for the African continent, describing Western Sahara as "the last unresolved decolonization case in Africa."
Addressing diplomats and international civil society actors, he emphasized a profound sense of shared destiny, stating that the regional commitment to this cause is driven by "the conviction that our own independence will only be truly complete when our brothers and sisters in Western Sahara, who continue to aspire to freedom and independence, are able to fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination."
He further underscored that ending this occupation is a collective duty, asserting that "it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to uphold the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in international law consistently and without exception."
The Ambassador issued a strong warning against international passivity, explicitly stating that "keeping silence in the face of this situation is not an option."
According to the Mozambican diplomat, international silence only serves to sustain injustice on the ground, as it "perpetuates the systematic violation of human rights in Western Sahara, denies the right to self-determination, and it represents the unlawful exploitation of the Territory’s natural resources."
Beyond the immediate impact on the Sahrawi population, Ambassador Saranga pointed out the broader structural damage inflicted on global governance when international law is selectively ignored.
He warned that allowing the occupation to continue unchecked directly "undermines the integrity and credibility of the multilateral system in which we place our trust and are committed to strengthening."
In closing, Ambassador Saranga welcomed the participants as part of a "Global Solidarity Movement, around the world advocating for the just cause of Western Sahara," and formally reaffirmed Mozambique’s "steadfast commitment to the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination," demanding a genuine decolonization process based entirely on the freely expressed will of the Sahrawi people. (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
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