Algerian Radio
The Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination received strong support during the high-level plenary meeting held by the UN General Assembly in New York, commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, enshrined in Resolution 1514 (XV) adopted on December 14, 1960.
The representative of South Africa expressed his country’s deep concern regarding the situation in Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa. He affirmed that the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination is "of paramount importance" and that no solution can be imposed upon them. He called on the two parties to the conflict, Morocco and the Polisario Front, to engage in direct political dialogue without preconditions to reach a just and lasting political settlement, according to the Sahrawi Press Service (SPS).
For his part, the representative of Mozambique expressed his country’s "deep" concern that 17 territories remain listed as Non-Self-Governing Territories, "where their peoples are still waiting for the fulfillment of promises made decades ago." In this context, he recalled the fact that the peoples of Palestine and Western Sahara remain deprived of their inalienable right to self-determination.
The representative of Namibia stated, "We cannot forget the situation in Western Sahara, that land which is still languishing under the yoke of colonialism decades after the issuance of Security Council Resolution 690, which promised the holding of a self-determination referendum." He noted that his country recognizes the necessity of addressing the last vestiges of colonial rule in Africa and supports the role of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
The Namibian diplomat called on the international community to reaffirm its commitment to "facilitating a free and fair referendum that enables the Sahrawi people to determine their own destiny," stressing that this is "not merely a political necessity, but a fundamental human right, the realization of which is an integral part of African unity and the global pursuit of peace."
The representative of Cuba called for the necessity of reaching a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution that leads to the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in accordance with Resolution 1514 (XV). He reiterated his country's rejection of unilateral decisions that ignore the interests and rights of the Sahrawi people.
In turn, Nicaragua, through its representative, reiterated its steadfast solidarity with the Sahrawi and Palestinian peoples and all peoples who are victims of oppressive colonialism. Meanwhile, the representative of Timor-Leste stated that the right of peoples to self-determination remains "a fundamental pillar of international law, enshrined in the United Nations Charter and affirmed by the General Assembly on numerous occasions."
