France, Spain, the USA, and the United Nations complicit in the Morocco- Western Sahara conflict
Early this month, Botswana upgraded her diplomatic relations with Africa’s last colony – the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, popularly known as Western Sahara, by appointing its first- ever Ambassador to that country, Zenene Sinombe.
Botswana Guardian’s reporter Ernest Moloi seized the opportunity to speak with the North African country’s Foreign Minister, Mohamed Salem Ould Salek.
To begin with, can you please explain to our readers why is Western Sahara still considered as the last colony in Africa? Why is Morocco so eager to violate the international legality to maintain the occupation of parts of your territory? Mohamed Salem Ould Salek: Western Sahara is the last colony in Africa because an important part of its national territory is still under Moroccan illegal occupation since 1975, and because the UN is still listing it in the UN non- self- governing territories ( colonies) and running an unfinished process of decolonisation there.
The UN has a mission on the ground since 1991, the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ( MINURSO), which has so far failed to honour its mandate because of the intransigence of Morocco, an African kingdom that has expansionist and colonialist tendencies and aspirations in the whole region not only in our territory.
As for the second part of your question, Morocco believes that it has rights in our resources, and believes that Saharawi people, because they are a small nation, do not deserve this rich and big territory. It is as simple as this.
Botswana Guardian:
BG: Lately, we have been following two major developments in this conflict, one is the appointment of the New UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy, Staffan De Mistura, and the second is the participation by the Saharawi President, Brahim Ghali, at the 6th EU- AU Summit in Brussels. What is your reading for these two developments? Can we say that waters are finally moving in the conflict? MS: It is very sad to recognise that we needed to resume legitimate armed struggle against the Moroccan military aggression last 13 November 2020 for the United Nations to finally get out of its inertia after more than two years of absence, the Secretary General of the UN finally appointed his Personal Envoy to continue UN efforts for the resolution of the conflict.
But this is just a small detail; the UN Envoy doesn’t have a magical stick to resolve the issue, his mission cannot succeed as long as he doesn’t get a real and firm support from the Security Council, and he cannot succeed unless he draws lessons from the failure of his predecessors and most importantly, he can never succeed unless he insists on the scrupulous respect of the international law in this last case of decolonisation. Any attempt by him or by any other else to divert this question from its legal framework will simply fail. As for the participation of
President Brahim Ghali, to the 6th EUAU Summit in Brussels, that’s a sound signal on the strength and importance of the African Union’s decision to speak with one voice, to be respected as an organisation and as the main representative of Africa.
Morocco and its allies now know very well that the Saharawi Republic is an international reality not only an African fact, and they know well now that they have to deal with us in more serious ways if they really want peace, stability and prosperity for the region as a whole.
But, yes, waters are definitely moving now, because the Saharawi people decided to take their fate in their hands and will never give up their rights no matter what the price is.
BG: African people and even the African elite do not fully understand what are the challenges and maybe dangers of the occupation by Morocco of parts of the Saharawi land, knowing that Saharawi Republic is a founding member of the African Union. Can you please explain this?
MS: What Morocco is trying to do is very, very dangerous, not only for the northern region of Africa, but for the whole of Africa and the world. First, for the region, Morocco had had, and still has, expansionist ambitions not only in the Saharawi territory but also in Mauritania, Algeria and even in Spain. I must advise interested readers to read about the Moroccan historical threats against his neighbours. Morocco didn’t want to recognise Mauritania from 1961 until 1969. Some of his elite, including parties in government, still say that Mauritania is Moroccan property.
Morocco also tried to invade parts of Western Algeria, two years after this African country got its independence following a bitter armed struggle and revolution against France. And against Spain, Morocco periodically claims Spanish enclaves in Northern Morocco, though they are Spanish since the 15th century. But this is not the only threat. The Moroccan expansionist plan for Western Sahara, if succeeded for any
excuse or reason, will mean that the African Constitutive Act is no more useful. I must recall you here that this Act inherited from OAU Charter some basic principles upon which the African unity was possible, mainly the strict respect of borders inherited from the colonial era, and the non- resolution of conflict by the use of force. If these two principles are violated by Morocco then how many borders’ war do you think we will have in Africa? And how many big countries will say that it has territorial rights in smaller or weaker ones? Same thing, if Morocco succeeds to impose the colonial fait- accompli in Western Sahara, why would we need to care about the international legality and why would anyone care about the right of peoples to self- determination or their right to territorial integrity?
BG: Saharawi authorities declared last November 13, 2020, the end of the ceasefire in place with Morocco since 1991. Saharawis report military operations every day in their official Press Agency, SPS. Yet, we never hear as African journalists, similar reports from Moroccan media. Is Western Sahara really a war zone now? Can you clear this confusion please?
MS: Morocco has never recognised war with the Saharawi people back from 1975 to 1991, until the UN brokered the ceasefire. The last thing Morocco cares about is providing public opinion with information.
We had more than 3000 Moroccan prisoners of war and we allowed the International Red Cross Commission to provide them with the necessary assistance for years, while the Moroccan government, and King Hassan, has always denied their existence and it is well recorded when he used to say that there are no Moroccan prisoners in our hands.
He was also recorded in many statements when he was claiming that Polisario Front is just a bunch of criminals and mercenaries, sometimes saying that we are communists, next day saying that we are Islamist, now saying that we have links with terrorism, with Iran, etc.
Morocco will never provide journalists with information, data or facts, but only with propaganda and lies. And for the curious one, they can just follow the chronology of Moroccan official statements and how they change according to years, phenomenon and fashionable international politics.
Otherwise, yes, there is a war in Western Sahara since the 13th of November 2020. Polisario declared it is no more bound by the 1991 ceasefire since Morocco violated it.
BG: Botswana recognsed the Saharawi Republic back in 1982, and the diplomatic relations at Ambassadorial level were established in 2019. How important are these relations to the two nations?
MS: Well, I have to inform your public opinion that Botswana has just raised the level of diplomatic relations with the Saharawi Republic this March the 1st. I am so proud to inform you that the first- ever Botswana Ambassador to the Saharawi Republic has presentedhis Credentials to the Saharawi President of the Republic.
This move is yet another confirmation by Botswana that your country is fond of respecting the rule of law, international legality, and principles of the African Union in Africa. Botswana and the Saharawi Republic share a lot of common factors that should bring us even closer to each other.
Both of us are small nations with rich territories, both are peaceful peoples who cherish freedom, human relations, and have strong cultures of pride and generosity. Both nations have strong and deep democratic traditions that deserve to be preserved. So we must develop our bonds further and we must accompany each other.
BG: Is the Polisario Front, which was in the forefront of Africa’s liberation struggle, receiving reciprocal assistance from former liberation movements, the majority of which are now in government, in its struggle for selfdetermination and freedom from an occupying force?
MS: All progressive and vanguard liberation movements and parties in governments or in oppositions in Africa are close to the Saharawi people’s struggle in a way or another. As for countries that have underwent revolutionary struggles for freedom, they all recognise the Saharawi Republic, and they all provide us with political, moral and sometimes even material support.
BG: Do you still consider the African Union a pan African organisation seized with the total liberation of the mother continent or has it been hijacked by imperialists?
MS: We will never allow imperialists or foreign powers to hijack our Pan African organistion, but that doesn’t mean they are not trying. We must as Africans clearly identify the threats around our continent, clearly set goals and go for them with our own means and speed. The African Union has extraordinary plans and strategic goals, the majority of which are included in the AU 2063 Agenda. They only need to be implemented for Africa to become a real driving force of the international economy and of human prosperity in general.
BG: What is the role of France, Spain, the USA and the United Nations in the current impasse between SADR and Morocco?
MS: It is indeed unfortunate to recognise that the parties you named are holding some parts of the responsibility in the continuation of the illegal occupation of our territory. Spain failed us as its former colony in the past when it abandoned us without finishing the decolonisation. France is failing its own principles of democracy and human rights by supporting a bloody dictatorship that is threatening the whole region, the USA are failing their duty as the penholder of UN Security Council’s Resolutions on Western Sahara, but also as one of the main powers that can effectively put pressures on Morocco to respect its international responsibilities in Western Sahara, and the UN has simply failed because as an organisation it cannot achieve the decolonisation of Western Sahara unless it implements the international law and allows the Saharawi people to exercise their legitimate and inalienable right to self- determination. We hope that all these parties review their positions. We do not ask them to support us. We only ask them to implement the international legality and UN Charter that they are supposed to defend as members of the UN.
BG: And finally, which African states have shown unwavering support to the SADR cause?
MS: A lot of African states have been firm and continue to be firm in their support to the Saharawi Republic. Others are less engaged on the issue but they do respect the AU Constitutive Act, and very few ones, because of their weaknesses or because of some external pressures especially from Morocco, do show enmity, but they are simply damaging their own image since they are attacking the international law, African principles and human rights by supporting the Moroccan occupation of a sister African nation.