Trump with willing poodles the Brits sells the Sahrawi down the river, repudiating decades of international law and abandoning a population to continued occupation

There’s a major development on the Western Sahara and it’s very alarming. A native population who have suffered repressive occupation for decades, trusting the UN’s promise of self-determination, is about to be abandoned.

If you don’t know the history, Morocco invaded the territory in 1975 when Spain, the colonial power, left. A war of resistance by the indigenous population, the Sahrawi, ensued. Hostilities ended in 1991 with a ceasefire when Morocco promised to hold a referendum on self-determination. Despite decades of demands in UN resolutions and ICJ rulings, Morocco has never allowed the referendum to take place. Meanwhile, 200,000 refugees, driven out of the territory by Morocco’s occupation, have languished in vast refugee camps which are literally in the middle of the Sahara desert. Their leaders have travelled the world demanding that the UN meet its promises.

I have been to the camps. It was a seminal experience for me. The resilience and determination of the Sahrawi people are deeply impressive. Independent Diplomat has supported the Frente Polisario, who represent the Saharawi, since 2004. I met the leadership of the FP a few days ago when they visited London. I regard these men as friends and colleagues. They have been an inspiration to me.

The US has just rammed through a UN Security Council resolution that basically endorses a plan the Moroccan government produced several years ago, cynically called the ‘autonomy plan’. The plan is in reality nothing to do with ‘autonomy’ but is instead a recipe for legalized occupation. The police, courts and army would all remain in the hands of the Moroccan government - in other words, all the tools of the state. That’s not autonomy. It’s certainly not self-determination. It’s imperialism - now shamefully sanctified by the rank hypocrites who occupy the UN Security Council. Moroccan occupation of the territory since 1975 has been characterised by exploitation, denial of all political rights and systematic repression including torture. Freedom House scores political freedom in the territory as 4 out of 100. Human rights organisations and parliamentarians from other countries are routinely denied access.

The autonomy plan and the resolution amount to a denial of the Saharawis’ right to self-determination, a right enshrined and demanded in innumerable UN resolutions since Morocco’s invasion of the territory in 1975 and in particular since the ceasefire in 1991 when Morocco agreed to hold a referendum on the future of the territory, a referendum that has never happened. It’s as if the US forced the UN to endorse Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, but this time it’s one Arab country occupying another.

The resolution is an abandonment of the Sahrawi people. It is also an abandonment of decades of international law. Of course, the poodles in chief, the Brits, voted for the resolution, complicit in the act of selling the Sahrawis down the river. Doubtless they’ve reasoned to themselves that this is a ‘sensible’ step forward, while keeping quiet about their abject sucking up to the Moroccans to stop refugees crossing the Mediterranean, sell military equipment etc.. Trump apparently sees it as an opportunity for him to ‘solve’ another conflict. This is also of course a symptom of the erosion of the world of rules that the UK and others pretend to stand for. At least Trump doesn’t pretend.

This international disgrace is getting zero attention.

I’ve worked on this issue for over twenty years, both in the UK government and as an adviser to the Frente Polisario who represent the people of the Western Sahara. If you have the means to do something about this (eg if you’re a journalist), please get in touch.