Page 33 - The Nile Explorer Magazine 011

liberation movement fighting for the
independence of Western Sahara.
Mauritania withdrew its forces in 1979
and renounced its sovereignty claims.
Mauritania also decided to recognize
SADR as the legitimate authority in
Western Sahara.
The war between Morocco and the
Polisario Front continued until it The president of Western Sahara Abdelkader Taleb Omar, the prime
reached a stalemate in 1988. Later Brahim Ghali minister of the Sahrawi Arab
that year, the United Nations and Democratic Republic
the Organization of African Unity
persuaded the parties to agree to To this end, both the OAU and AU Morocco. The occupation is against
a ceasefire and a settlement plan. have undertaken efforts to conduct the spirit of the founding objectives
Under the settlement plan, the issue a referendum for self-determination and principles of both the OAU and
of sovereignty over the Territory of of the people of Western Sahara. A the AU.
Western Sahara would have to be year after the admission of SADR as
settled by a referendum. member of the OAU, the Assembly As far back as 1963, the Territory of
The war stopped in 1991 and the of Heads of State and Government Western Sahara19 was listed among
UN Mission for the Referendum of of the OAU urged the Kingdom of Non-Self-Governing Territories
Western Sahara (MINURSO) was Morocco and the Polisario Front “to as recognized in the UN General
established by UN Security Council undertake direct negotiations with Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of
resolution 690 of 29 April 1991. The a view of bringing about a ceasefire 14 December 1960 that contained
referendum was planned to take place to create the necessary condition the Declaration on the Granting of
within 6 months and the Saharawi for a peaceful and fair referendum Independence to Colonial Countries
people were to choose between for self-determination of the people and Peoples. It should be recalled
independence or integration with of Western Sahara, a referendum that under Resolution 1514 (XV), the
Morocco. The referendum has not without any administrative or military General Assembly, declared inter alia,
been held up to now. that all peoples have the right to self-
constraints…”
determination, and that by virtue of
The Status of Western Sahara The Peace and Security Council of the that right, they should freely determine
(SADR) African Union at its 496th meeting their political status and freely pursue
held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on their economic, social and cultural
The SADR became a Member State 27 March 2015 recalled that the development.
of the Organization of African Unity Western Sahara remained an issue in Accordingly, the right of the people of
(OAU) in 1982. It should be recalled the completion of the decolonization Western Sahara to a referendum for
that membership to the OAU was open process of Africa and urged the UN self-determination has been reaffirmed
to any independent sovereign African Security Council to take all necessary by both the General Assembly and the
State. The admission of SADR to the decisions to ensure progress in search UN Security Council as well as by the
membership of OAU in 1982 signified for a solution to the conflict in Western International Court of Justice. Chapter
that more than half of Member States Sahara and appealed for an enhanced XI of the UN Charter deals with Non-
of the OAU recognized Western Sahara and coordinated international action Self-Governing Territories.
as an independent sovereign African towards the early organization of a
State.9 It should also be recalled that referendum for the self-determination Article 73 of the Charter provides
one of the purposes of the OAU was to of Western Sahara, in compliance with that Member States of the UN which
eradicate all forms of colonialism from relevant OAU/AU decisions and UN have or assumed responsibilities
Africa. resolutions. for the administration of Non-Self
Governing Territories must recognize
Accordingly, the SADR is one of the As can be seen from the above, the the principle that the interests of
founders and a member of the African African Union has continued to call the inhabitants of these territories
Union, the successor organization for a referendum of self-determination are paramount, and must accept as a
to OAU. 16. Notwithstanding the of the people of Western Sahara sacred trust the obligation to promote
membership of SADR to both OAU within the acknowledged principles of to the utmost, the well-being of the
and AU, there is recognition that the international law. inhabitants of these territories.
people of Western Sahara are not fully It should be noted that the African
liberated. The SADR controls only a Union considers Western Sahara In addition, Article 73 (e) requires the
part of Western Sahara. to be under colonial occupation by administering Power to transmit to
the UN Secretary General, statistical

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