Il presidente del Consiglio nazionale saharawi, Hamma Salama, ha denunciato la visita della delegazione del Parlamento della Comunità economica degli Stati dell'Africa occidentale (ECOWAS) nel Sahara occidentale occupato.
La delegazione ECOWAS ha visitato le città occupate di Laayoune e Dakhla nel Sahara occidentale. Il Sig. Hamma Salama, ha considerato questa visita, in una lettera che ha inviato al Presidente del Parlamento dell'ECOWAS Onorevole Sidie Mohamed Tunisi, come una violazione dei principi fondanti dell'UA e dell'ECOWAS e un incoraggiamento al Marocco a persistere nella sua occupazione illegale nel Sahara occidentale.
Ha ritenuto che tale incoraggiamento violi anche la sovranità della Repubblica Araba Saharawi Democratica, e ostacoli gli sforzi dell'UA e delle Nazioni Unite per trovare una soluzione pacifica e duratura.
Hamma Salama, ha chiamato "urgentemente", a nome del Consiglio nazionale (Parlamento) della Repubblica Araba Saharawi Democratica, la delegazione dell'ECOWAS a ritrattare le dichiarazioni secondo quanto riferito a favore della continua occupazione illegale del Marocco nel Sahara occidentale.
A questo proposito, ha sottolineato che lo "sviluppo socio-economico" nel territorio occupato, che la delegazione del Parlamento dell'ECOWAS avrebbe accolto con favore, è solo una cortina di fumo progettata per nascondere le terribili realtà di un'occupazione illegale.
Di seguito il testo integrale della lettera:
Honourable Sidie Mohamed Tunis
Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament
Abuja, Nigeria
Honourable Speaker,
The Moroccan news agency (MAP) has reported that you and a delegation from the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had paid a visit to the cities of El Aaiún and Dajla in the Occupied Territories of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
As representatives of Parliaments of ECOWAS, which is a regional economic community of the African Union (AU), you are bound by the objectives and principles of the AU Constitutive Act, ECOWAS Revised Treaty (1993), and the Supplementary Act relating to the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament (2016).
Relevant policy institutions of AU Member States, individually and collectively, have a responsibility and an obligation to defend the shared values and the founding principles of the Union as enshrined in the AU Constitutive Act.
These principles include, inter alia, respect for borders existing on achievement of independence, the prohibition of the use of force or threat to use force among Member States of the Union and the non-interference by any Member State in the internal affairs of another.
Moreover, one of the fundamental principles, set out in ECOWAS Revised Treaty (1993), is the “recognition, promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights in accordance with the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (4;g)”.
Likewise, the Supplementary Act relating to the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament (2016) stipulates that one of the objectives of the ECOWAS Parliament is to “promote and defend the principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law” (4; e).
In view of the foregoing, the reported visit by you and the delegation from ECOWAS Parliament to the Occupied Territories of the Sahrawi Republic (SADR) is a breach of the founding principles of the AU and ECOWAS and an encouragement to Morocco to persist in its illegal occupation and colonialist policies.
Such encouragement also infringes on the sovereignty of the Sahrawi Republic (SADR) and hinders the AU and UN efforts to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict between the SADR and Morocco.
On behalf of the National Council (Parliament) of the Sahrawi Republic (SADR), I call urgently upon you and the ECOWAS delegation to retract the statements reportedly made in favour of Morocco’s continued illegal occupation of the SADR Territory, an occupation which is a true affront to all the values and ideals cherished by all peoples and nations of our continent.
In this regard, I would like to underscore that the “socio-economic development” in the Territory, which you and the delegation from the ECOWAS Parliament had reportedly welcomed, is just a smokescreen designed to hide the dreadful realities of an ongoing illegal occupation of an African country by another.
This mendacious propaganda propagated by the occupying state of Morocco also seeks to cover up the continued gross human rights violations perpetrated by the occupying authorities against Sahrawi civilians who are subjected daily to unspeakable cruelty and atrocities as attested to by international and African human rights organisations.
Instead of visiting the Occupied cities of the Sahrawi Republic (SADR), you and the ECOWAS Parliament should be condemning in the strongest possible terms Morocco’s continued illegal military occupation of an AU member state as well as the blatant human rights violations committed by the occupying state against Sahrawi civilians and human rights activists.
Denouncing Morocco’s illegal occupation and exposing its crimes in the Occupied Territories of the Sahrawi Republic (SADR) would have been the right and correct thing to do in line with the founding objectives and principles of the AU Constitutive Act and ECOWAS and its Parliament that you are entrusted with the task of leading and representing regionally and internationally.
Please accept, Honourable Speaker, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Hamma Salama,
Speaker of the National Council (Parliament) of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Bir Lehlou, February 25th, 2022".
