The current situation of the conflict in Western Sahara is of particular concern, affecting the entire region and is being determined, among others, by the following issues:
- The state of war, which was declared by the SADR Government since 13 November 2020, following the violation of the ceasefire by the Moroccan Government in the Guerguerat area, after militarily attacking Sahrawi civilians.
- The passivity and complicity of the international community, especially the UN, which has not put pressure on the Moroccan government to hold the referendum after 29 years of the ceasefire.
- The volatile situation throughout the region with the rapture diplomatic relations between Algeria and Morocco, which represents an escalation of instability and a serious threat to security and peace throughout the region.
- The u-turn of the President of the Spanish Government, betting on the expansionist pretenses of Morocco in Western Sahara, and therefore, contradicting international law and abandoning international legality.
- The judgments of 29 September 2021 of the EU Court of Justice annulling the EU’s trade agreements with Morocco since they were applied to Western Sahara; and reiterating that Morocco has no sovereignty over Western Sahara. The appeal lodged by the Commission, the Council and some Member States is still pending and will undoubtedly mark the legal agenda for the coming months.
In this new scenario, the workshop on the consolidation of the Sahrawi State at EUCOCO aims to coordinate activities, actions and lines of work that would contribute effectively to the consolidation of the Sahrawi State itself, and to remove all those elements that constitute an obstacle to that end.
With this aim in mind, it is proposed to prevent further military escalation in the region, to continue the pressure campaigns against the Spanish Government to assume its responsibilities, as the administering power of the territory, as per international law. Similarly, support and promote political initiatives within international organizations and bodies, as well as national and supranational Governments with the aim of enabling the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to self-determination and independence.
Support for Sahrawi institutions should be a central point for ensuring coordination of initiatives and projects in areas under the jurisdiction of the Frente POLISARIO and in the Sahrawi refugee camps. At the same time, this coordination is essential to ensure the continuous and quality training of the Sahrawi people both in the occupied territories and in the refugee camps.