Paradoxical snippets of reality today make up Western Sahara. Located in the great desert of North Africa, it is one of the richest territories in the area to have the world’s largest phosphate reserves and vast fishing grounds. Although it was proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) since 1976, much of its population lives refugee and a large area of the country is occupied illegally by Morocco.
But the people, especially youth Sahrawi, crave full freedom. This was stated to JR Omar Mansur, Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean of the SADR. The owner is one of the founders of the Polisario Front, a group that leads the Republic and independence.
“The biggest problem is, rather than humanitarian, political character,” says Mansur on the situation in the occupied territories of SADR, where systematic human rights of Sahrawis are violated by Morocco.
However, his opinion goes beyond reductionist views and addresses the root of the conflict.
“Because the question of Western Sahara is not a humanitarian crisis, but a problem of unfinished decolonization, is a problem of invasion of one country to another, is the deficiency United Nations by not fulfilling their duties, namely end decolonization, is the failure of the Security Council of the UN to not perform the necessary steps for the peace plan, which aims to organize a referendum in Western Sahara is put into application.
“And the political nature of an unresolved problem is the one that causes collateral problems such as humanitarian crises, or mobility of refugees, or security arising.
“for us the main problem is the invasion from Morocco; is there a situation that lasts 40 years and that the United Nations is unable to resolve it.
“And to this problem, we have worked in parallel in different directions. On the one hand, we develop an action of self-defense of the Sahrawi population, ie resistance. On the other, we work on a dissemination of information in the Western Sahara and, in a third aspect, we work on the proclamation of the Saharawi State, even in the midst of the occupation and has been recognized by over 80 countries for which there a large number of Latin Americans, including, of course, Cuba. “
” over the years we have received great support from the countries that recognize the Saharawi Republic, some of them in matters concrete. Since Cuba has been an aid in education and significant support in health. Cuban doctors groups present with us in the refugee camps and there are a group of teachers teaching well. In addition to scholarship students enrolled in Cuban universities, such as ELAM. This is an important support in two key sectors are education and health. “
-¿Dada the current situation in his country do you think, then, that this is a decisive moment SADR?
it’s certainly a turning point, in which, on the one hand we are witnessing an isolation of Morocco. The greatest achievement in this field have had is that so far not a single state in the world that recognizes the sovereignty of Morocco over the Western Sahara territory and that all consider their occupation of our territories is de facto and violation of rights by means of force.
“This has been achieved despite the fact that Morocco has devoted all its resources to get someone to recognize its sovereignty over the Western Sahara territory. And this strikes United Nations and the international community so that now, more than at any other time, may be exerted the necessary pressure, so that there is a solution.
“The other aspect that makes this time decisive is that the Saharan population itself has already waited four decades in this situation and has no more patience to keep waiting. We are then faced with a dilemma: o United Nations does its role or Sahrawis will continue their struggle for national liberation with the means that are at their disposal, including military means and this will make the region knows a dramatic situation will force Morocco to choose peace or continue their way through war.
“a third aspect is the presence in the area of the threat of Islamic fundamentalism, which is being led by different groups, and its manifestations terrorism and insecurity, which is challenging, even for the Saharawi Republic.
“This context, calls the responsibility of the countries of the region but also to the Security Council to resolve definitively the situation in Western Sahara, and if the solution does not come, the difficulties of all sorts will rain in that area; and who else is going to regret is the one who throws stones and has a glass roof, ie, the Moroccan monarchy, which internally has all kinds of problems and internationally is isolated.
“We are doing a superhuman effort to maintain the ceasefire, to maintain this situation of peace to create a necessary climate final settlement. We do not regret having patience, because peace is well worth it, but we do not want to be abused the patience of the Saharawi and interpreted it as a weakness, and between the ineffectiveness of Morocco and the silence of the United Nations pass a background the situation in Western Sahara. This we will not allow, and we can not allow it because the Saharawi youth is at a stage of great impatience with this situation. “
Q: What would be the main progress of the Polisario Front and the ? Sahrawi Republic in the last 40 years
-First, having conducted our struggle since 1975 against two invading countries: Morocco and Mauritania, after only was Morocco. In this struggle for self-defense we have not taken any action against civilian populations, although Morocco has bombed our population. We have a relationship of brotherhood with the Moroccan people, which, we believe, has imposed, like us, a war, against whom must fight through their political strength and public opinion.
“the second important fact we have achieved is to have achieved international recognition in relation to the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence.
” the third, it is being supported by the Union of African States as a member with full rights at a time when Morocco is isolated on the African continent.
“And on the other hand, have significant successes in the social domain, we have achieved despite being at war ; for example, an almost full literacy of our population, an education in which more than 90 percent of Saharawi children can go to school. Also, it has imposed along the Sahrawi revolution there is full equality of rights between men and women. Today we have the largest number of graduates Sahrawi girls in different university branches guys, and in medicine, in particular, represent more than 90 percent of graduates, which is a very important achievement in an area where women have great difficulty to be able to have the same rights as men.
“we have done over these 40 years a revolution for democracy in which there have been local elections, parliamentary and those who have created social agencies to Sahrawi society can participate both at youth and at the level of students, and at the level of women or level unions.
“that is, that the Saharawi struggle, rather than resistance military, has developed a great effort to spread the ideas of the revolution and the Polisario Front to the social field, in the domain of education, health, equality, participation, education for democracy, and so guarantee what comes after independence, which is the most difficult. We take this process so that there is as a waiting period but as a period of preparation of the Saharawi State “.
-¿Siente who have lived some regression?
-The setbacks, many of them are due to difficulties and mistakes we ourselves have made, which is largely due to lack of resources to implement the decisions we make in the congress that the Polisario has made . And that lack of resources is a paradox because we are, in terms of wealth, one of the largest countries in the region, but these resources are being plundered by an occupier, not for our people, and has made to implement the programs have to run around to raise funds.
what are the future projections for the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic once reached full sovereignty?
-The prospects after the start solution that, throughout these 40 years, we have reaped management experience, have shown ability to solve the problems of our population, we have prepared an atmosphere of tolerance, democracy and pretty good internal debate which will, at the political level, enrumbar our destiny and take advantage of our benefit the media and natural resources of the territory.
“so, at the prospect of future, we can not only have a prosperous situation within the country in economic terms, but can also contribute to our ability, experience and our specific weight in the construction of a regional assembly in the north west Africa and within the framework of what is known as the Maghreb .
“This would be a regional block in which there is complementarity, democracy, respect for the rights of everyone, aspects that have achieved a great pragmatism and able to respond to future challenges.”
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