Khatari El Bilal Slams French Decision on Western Sahara: “A Reflection of Colonial History”

✏️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | August 8th, 2024 — Khatari El Bilal, the President of the Sahrawi Center for Media and Communication, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the French government’s recent endorsement of the autonomy proposal for Western Sahara, characterizing it as neither surprising nor unprecedented.

In an exclusive interview with Dzair Tube, Khatari underscored that France’s support for the autonomy proposal is consistent with its historical pattern of opposing the Sahrawi cause. He highlighted that this stance aligns with France’s colonial history of antagonizing the peoples of North Africa, particularly the Sahrawis, from the 1950s to the present.

Khatari drew a parallel between the current situation and France’s role in Algeria during the Algerian War of Independence. He emphasized that the French government’s actions regarding Western Sahara are viewed by Sahrawis as a continuation of the same colonial attitudes that were evident during Algeria’s fight for liberation.

“The French decision to support the autonomy proposal is built on legally questionable grounds,” Khatari asserted. He conveyed the Sahrawi people’s condemnation of this “disreputable act” and reiterated their resolve to pursue all legitimate means to achieve their right to self-determination. This includes, if necessary, armed struggle, which he described as a justified response to the lack of legal and moral support for their cause.

An Overview of the Western Sahara Conflict: Historical Context and Contemporary Issues

The Western Sahara conflict represents a profound case of decolonization, as framed by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514. Adopted in December 1960, this resolution calls for the prompt and unconditional end of colonialism in all its manifestations and affirms the right of all peoples to self-determination.

Western Sahara has been classified as a non-self-governing territory by the United Nations since 1963. This classification 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.

The international community, including the UN, the African Union (AU), and the European Union (EU), supports a referendum to decide the future status of Western Sahara, the last remaining 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 was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) upon its inception in 1963. Conversely, Morocco withdrew from the OAU in 1982 but rejoined the AU in 2017.

The historical backdrop of the conflict dates back to 1975, when Spain, the former colonial power, withdrew from Western Sahara and ceded control to Morocco and Mauritania through the Madrid Accords of November 14, 1975. These accords were not acknowledged by the UN and were met with resistance from the Polisario Front, which had been opposing both Spanish and Moroccan rule. Mauritania subsequently withdrew from its portion of Western Sahara in 1979.

Efforts to conduct a referendum have been thwarted by ongoing obstacles, primarily stemming from Moroccan resistance. Although a ceasefire agreement was brokered by the UN and AU in 1991, leading to the establishment of the UN Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the referendum has yet to be held due to continuous Moroccan obstructions. The ongoing Moroccan occupation has been marked by violations of the rights of the Sahrawi people, further impeding the self-determination process.

The situation escalated on November 13, 2020, when the Polisario Front resumed armed conflict in response to a Moroccan forces’ attack on unarmed Sahrawi protesters in the El Guerguerat buffer zone. This violation of the 1991 ceasefire led the Sahrawi leadership to declare the resumption of armed struggle against the occupying forces, which have consistently disregarded international legal standards.

Morocco’s proposed autonomy plan has been categorically rejected by the Sahrawi people, who assert their right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter. The recent endorsement of Morocco’s plan by France has further complicated the situation. Additionally, Spain’s failure to fulfill its historical role as the administering power, as recognized by the UN, has been a significant impediment to achieving a fair resolution to the conflict.

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