Western Sahara’s Plight: Ethnic Cleansing and Resource Exploitation Under Moroccan Occupation

New York (United Nations) – Yoichi Iwasaki, a Japanese university lecturer specializing in African social and political issues and a member of the Japan Friends of Western Sahara Association, presented a petition before the United Nations General Assembly’s Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee). He highlighted the dire situation in the occupied Sahrawi territories, condemning Morocco’s actions, including ethnic cleansing, exploitation of natural resources, and violations of international law.

According to the Sahrawi Press Agency (SPS), Iwasaki stated, “Since 1995, I have visited the Sahrawi people multiple times in the occupied territories, liberated areas, refugee camps, and the diaspora.” Through his research, he verified the realities of Morocco’s military occupation and colonialism, including ethnic cleansing, resource exploitation, and breaches of international law.

Iwasaki noted that the Western Sahara issue faces significant challenges, particularly a lack of justice. Despite the presence of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the region’s natural resources continue to be plundered. He criticized countries and companies benefiting from these resources for ignoring Morocco’s occupation and its violations of international legitimacy.

He emphasized that the United Nations recognizes the Polisario Front as the representative of the Sahrawi people, who have the right to self-determination. This necessitates enabling the Sahrawi people to determine the future of Western Sahara through a self-determination referendum.

Iwasaki further highlighted that the Moroccan occupying state continues to deprive Sahrawis of their right to freedom of expression, subjecting them to arbitrary detention, torture, and widespread abuses. Morocco also bans media access and expels foreign observers from the occupied territory while its drones target civilians and their vehicles.

For context, numerous countries voiced support during the Fourth Committee’s discussions, calling for the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with the General Assembly’s resolution on granting independence to colonized countries and peoples.

As an example, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), comprising 33 countries, reaffirmed its commitment to all General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on Western Sahara. CELAC reiterated its strong support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his personal envoy to achieve a just and lasting political solution that ensures the self-determination of the Sahrawi people.