The Polisario demands a date for the referendum in Western Sahara to stop the war

“We’ve always wanted to be independent for the good ones but we haven’t received anything in return,” explains one young activist

The Polisario Front immediately demands "a date" for the referendum in Western Sahara as an indispensable condition for stopping the war with Morocco, which has been a week after thirty years of ceasefire. The delegate in Catalonia of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Sakia-el-Hamra and Río de Oro, Abidin Bucharaya, has called for "serious action" by the international community to help them vote to decide their future. "We have always wanted to be independent, protesting peacefully, but we have not achieved anything," laments Nora Mulay, a young Sahrawi living in Catalonia. From the occupied territories, journalist Ahmed Ettanji warns of human rights violations by Mohamed VI's army since the ceasefire was broken, and the UN remains silent.

Both sides accuse each other of resuming hostilities and for a week now have been embarking on a confrontation of which there is little information due to difficulties in accessing the area and the media closure of the Moroccan state. "We are anxious because we do not know what will happen," says Nora, who arrived in Catalonia thanks to several cooperation projects but continues to be in contact with her family, which is divided: the closest is to the Tindouf refugee camps the other, in the territories occupied by Morocco since the Spanish state left its colony and its people in the face of the advance of Moroccan troops. His father and brother are in the liberated area, the small strip of land near Algeria that controls the Polisario. They assure her that they are only protesting and that she should not worry, but Nora fears for them and for her mother and siblings, in the refugee camp. The young woman accuses Rabat of breaking the ceasefire, although she admits that it was what the Sahrawis were "looking for". “We are happy but sad, because we have parents, siblings, cousins ​​and neighbors who are there,” he acknowledges. From relatives in the occupied territories they feel that they also go out there every night to protest and that the Moroccan police enter people's houses.

Journalist Ahmed Ettanji, from Al-Aaiun, the former capital of Spanish Western Sahara, says there is a "powerful deployment" of Moroccan military and police following the incidents at the Guerguerat border crossing. Demonstrations in the streets have resumed in recent days celebrating the "reactivation of the war," said the Sahrawi journalist, who denounced human rights violations by Moroccan authorities. “They have entered houses looking for young people for their alleged participation in the protests,” says Ahmed who sees it as an attempt to generate “fear” among the population. He even says the police search people’s cell phones. "They arrest anyone who walks down the street who is Sahrawi."

From the Polisario they say that for almost 30 years they have been trying to "contain" the population but that the "immobility" of the UN has led them to distrust that they are given a solution. According to Bucharaya, young people have grown up in a context of "despair" and "disappointment": "they no longer believe in international bodies and think that the only solution is war." "The Sahrawis are fed up with us taking away our resources," says Nora. According to her, for years young people have wanted a war and now they have seen the opportunity to fight for their cause. "It's now or never". The Polisario warns that it will be "difficult" to stop it and that it will have "consequences for the whole region". "We are ready to die for the Sahara," says his representative in Catalonia. Asked about the Sahrawi capacity in the face of the Moroccan army, Bucharaya dodges the issue and says that wars are “won with morale” and that they know the territory better. "Sahrawis have nothing to lose, but Morocco does because it has tourism and investment," Ettanji also points out.

For his part, the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, pledged to the UN on Monday to maintain a ceasefire despite admitting that he would react "with great severity" and "self-defense" in the event of threats against the security of the United Nations. country and the stability of citizens. In the midst of reactivating the conflict, Jordan will open a consulate in Western Sahara as a show of support for Rabat. A total of 17 African states have already opened diplomatic representations since the end of 2019 in the disputed territory. The Polisario, which has Algeria as its main and almost sole ally, considers it "a violation of international law" and an "attack on the legal status of Western Sahara as a non-autonomous territory," as it means the recognition of the legitimacy of the Moroccan presence in the area. The United Nations has had a Mission for the Sahara Referendum (MINURSO) since 1991 but has never done anything. In fact, he hasn’t even had a manager at the helm for almost a year.

A spokeswoman for the UN secretary-general sent a brief statement last Friday lamenting that her efforts to prevent a ceasefire violation had failed. "The lives of Sahrawi civilians are in danger, so the application of international law is urgent," warns Ettanji. Guterres is committed to doing "everything possible" to reactivate the "political process" and ensure that MINURSO implements its mandate. For now, their efforts are focused on appointing a new head for the mission. "The appointment of this special envoy is not enough, a date must already be set in the referendum," calls for Bucharaya, who is calling for a "democratic solution" to the conflict. "Spain can take actions that allow decolonization," says Bucharaya.

Although the Polisario Front is aware of the strong Spanish-Moroccan ties, they accuse the Spanish government of acting against UN resolutions. Although Podemos has always shown its solidarity with the Sahrawi cause, its presence in the Spanish government has not changed the historical position of the state towards this former colony. In fact, in recent days Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya has avoided supporting the referendum despite multiple UN resolutions. "We do not understand the political myopia of these parties when they come to government," laments Bucharaya, who instead thanks the support of the "Catalan movement" to the Sahrawi people. Bucharaya says that resolving this conflict would have a huge "benefit" for the Spaniards. "Spain is interested in a stable North Africa and this is not possible if the conflict is not resolved," warns the Polisario, aware of the concerns of the executive for the increase in arrivals from the African continent

For the time being, the European Union has remained on the sidelines. European diplomatic sources commented this week that they did not see the situation as "serious enough". That’s why it wasn’t even discussed at the EU foreign ministers ’meeting on Thursday. "It is a mistake to think that what is happening in Western Sahara is not so serious," said the delegate to Catalonia of the Polisario Front.

For the time being, the European Union has remained on the sidelines. European diplomatic sources commented this week that they did not see the situation as "serious enough". That’s why it wasn’t even discussed at the EU foreign ministers ’meeting on Thursday. "It is a mistake to think that what is happening in Western Sahara is not so serious," said the delegate to Catalonia of the Polisario Front.

Source : Elmon.cat

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