Occupied El Aaiún, 6 November 2026 (SPS) – The Sahrawi Body Against the Moroccan Occupation (ISACOM) has called for urgent UN action to monitor the human rights situation in the occupied territories of Western Sahara through the establishment of an independent and effective international mechanism with a clear mandate to monitor the situation, document violations, investigate them and issue regular reports.
In a statement, ISACOM stressed that the proposed mechanism should cover the situation of Sahrawi political prisoners, their detention conditions and fair trial guarantees, with a view to securing their release and clarifying the fate of those subjected to enforced disappearance. It also called for protection of human rights defenders, witnesses and victims against harassment and reprisals.
The organisation urged respect for international law and international humanitarian law and an end to impunity for violations committed against Sahrawi civilians. It called on the United Nations to fulfil its legal responsibilities towards Western Sahara and work towards a peaceful, just and credible solution that enables the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to self-determination freely and without coercion.
ISACOM emphasised that this right is inherent, inalienable and not subject to prescription, and must not be subjected to political bargaining or replaced by imposed solutions that do not reflect the free will of the Sahrawi people.
It further called on the United Nations to ensure that the occupied territory is opened to international observers, journalists and human rights organisations, allowing them unrestricted access to the area and contact with victims and their families, in order to end the isolation and information blackout imposed on the territory.
The organisation also demanded an end to the plundering and exploitation of Sahrawi natural resources without the consent of the Sahrawi people and called for respect for their right to dispose of their resources.
ISACOM concluded by reaffirming its commitment to documenting human rights violations, advocating for victims and cooperating with international human rights organisations and other bodies defending human dignity and fundamental freedoms. It stressed that any change in the nature of the UN presence in Western Sahara must not leave Sahrawi civilians without international protection or monitoring, nor serve as a pretext for evading international responsibility towards the decolonisation of Western Sahara.
