Algeria’s FLN Condemns French Government’s Recognition of Moroccan Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara
✏️ By: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers, Algeria | July 27th, 2024 — The National Liberation Front (FLN) has sharply criticized and condemned the French government’s recent decision to recognize Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. The party denounces the move as “a new provocation that contradicts international legality and must be condemned,” according to a statement issued by the political organization on Friday.
In its communiqué, the FLN expressed its disapproval of the French government’s stance on the autonomy plan for Western Sahara, which it views as under purported Moroccan authority. The party characterized this recognition as “a new provocation,” revealing a “dangerous alliance between the former colonizer and the current occupier of Sahrawi territories.” The FLN underscores that France, fully aware of the decolonization status of Western Sahara, should not support this plan.
The statement further emphasizes that France’s decision contravenes international law, asserting that the people of Western Sahara do not belong to Morocco to be granted autonomy. It also highlighted that this proposal has been disregarded, with regional, continental, and UN organizations collectively refusing to acknowledge any Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. The FLN argues that the French position represents an obstruction to international efforts to enforce legal standards.
Reaffirming its support for the Polisario Front’s “heroic and just struggle” to assert sovereignty over Western Sahara, the FLN calls for the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and independence to be respected. The party also stresses that any delay in achieving this objective prolongs the crisis and its impacts on regional security and stability. It criticizes the situation as one that “denies an entire people their long-sought freedom, despite numerous UN General Assembly resolutions addressing this issue.”
A Snapshot of Western Sahara Cause: History, Current Challenges
The Western Sahara conflict is fundamentally a question of decolonization, as defined by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514. Adopted in December 1960, this resolution mandates the rapid and unconditional termination of colonialism in all its forms and asserts the right of all peoples to self-determination.
Western Sahara on the UN List of Non-Self-Governing Territories
Since 1963, Western Sahara has been classified by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory. This issue falls under the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly, also known as the Committee on Decolonization, which upholds the inalienable right of self-determination for the inhabitants of such territories.
International Support for a Referendum
The UN, African Union (AU), and European Union (EU) advocate for a referendum to determine the future status of Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which is recognized by 80 countries, has been a member of the AU since 1982 and a founding member of the OAU upon its establishment in 2002. Morocco, on the other hand, withdrew from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1982 but rejoined the AU in 2017.
Historical Context and Current Challenges
In 1975, Spain, the former colonial power, withdrew from Western Sahara and transferred control to Morocco and Mauritania under the Madrid Accords of November 14, 1975. These accords were not recognized by the UN and faced opposition from the Polisario Front, which had been resisting both Spanish and Moroccan rule. Mauritania withdrew from its portion of Western Sahara in 1979.
Obstacles to a Referendum
The Polisario Front continued its armed resistance against Moroccan occupation until a ceasefire agreement was negotiated by the UN and AU in 1991. Despite the establishment of the UN Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the referendum has not been organized due to persistent Moroccan obstructions. Moroccan occupation forces have continued to violate the rights of the Sahrawi people, obstructing the process of self-determination.
Violation of the 1991 Ceasefire
On November 13, 2020, the Polisario Front was compelled to resume armed action following Moroccan forces’ attack on unarmed Sahrawi protesters in the El Guerguerat buffer zone. This breach of the 1991 ceasefire agreement led the Sahrawi leadership to announce the resumption of armed struggle against the occupying forces, which have ignored international legal standards.
Rejection of the so-called “Moroccan Autonomy Plan”
Morocco’s proposed autonomy plan is firmly rejected by the Sahrawi people, who assert their right to self-determination as guaranteed by the UN Charter. The recent endorsement of the Moroccan plan by France further complicates the situation. Spain’s failure to uphold its historical role as the administering power, as recognized by the UN, has been a significant setback in the quest for a just resolution to the conflict.
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