Banjul (The Gambia) 09 May 2025 (SPS)- The Sahrawi Republic called in a statement before the 83rd Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, held in Banjul from the 2 to the 12th May, for an international and African investigation of the cases of forced disappearance in the occupied territories of Western Sahara under Moroccan illegal occupation.
Represented in this Session by Ambassador Malainin Lakhal, the Sahrawi Republic indicated that it “seeks no less than the dignity of truth, the restoration of justice, and an end to impunity”, and it urged the Commission “to keep the issue of disappearance at the forefront of its human rights agenda.”
Following is the full text of the statement pf the statement:
Honourable Chairperson, Honourable Commissioners, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, all protocols observed:
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic welcomes the report of the Chairperson of the Working Group on the Death Penalty and Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings and Enforced Disappearances in Africa, and commends its attention to the suffering endured by countless African victims of disappearance across the continent and countless unresolved cases.
Enforced disappearance remains one of the most severe and enduring violations suffered by the Sahrawi people, stemming from the ongoing Moroccan colonial occupation of Western Sahara since1975. This phenomenon has inflicted deep scars on individuals, families, and the collective identity of Sahrawi people, amounting to an ongoing crime against humanity and a systematic assault on human rights and collective memory.
Due to the secretive nature of enforced disappearances ongoing since 1975 amid ongoing military invasion and fierce war of resistance, exact figures are hard to confirm. However, the Association of the Families of Sahrawi Prisoners and Disappeared (AFAPREDESA) reports thousands of victims—many held incommunicado for months or years for some more than 17 years.
The two-volume report entitled: “The Oasis of Memory”, coordinated by Doctor and veteran researcher of human rights violations in Latin America and other regions of the world, Carlos Martín Beristain, and Dr. Eloísa González Hidalgo, specialist in Human Rights studies, offers the most comprehensive documentation of this crisis. They worked and documented over 800 cases of disappearance between 1975 and 1993 alone, with approximately 400 individuals still missing. Given the small size of the Sahrawi population, the rate of disappearances they affirmed is among the highest globally—surpassing those documented in Argentina or Chile and comparable to genocidal contexts like in Guatemala or East Timor, the two experts asserted.
These disappearances followed a brutal pattern: arbitrary arrest without due process, prolonged detention in secret facilities such as Agdz, Kalaat M’gouna, or the infamous Cárcel Negra in El Aaiún, and widespread use of torture. Families were systematically denied information, generating lasting psychological trauma and social fragmentation.
One illustrative case is that of 14-year-old Bachir Ould Selma Daf, abducted in 1976 while fetching water. He was never seen again; survivor testimonies later confirmed his death in custody. Another chilling example is the discovery of a mass grave containing eight Sahrawi nomads, including two with Spanish citizenship, executed by Moroccan forces. Forensic analysis confirmed their simultaneous killing and deliberate concealment.
The consequences of these violations are profound. In the Oasis of the Memory report, approximately 63% of survivors interviewed had endured conditions amounting to cruel and inhuman treatment. The community lives with unresolved grief and the fear caused by these crimes, while the absence of justice obstructs any meaningful reconciliation or political resolution.
We call upon the African Commission and the broader international community and human rights organisations to support mechanisms of investigation, identification, and redress for the victims of enforced disappearance in Western Sahara.
The Sahrawi people seek no less than the dignity of truth, the restoration of justice, and an end to impunity. We urge the Commission to keep the issue of disappearance at the forefront of its human rights agenda. I will be more than happy to share credible and international reports, including the 2 Volumes investigative book I mentioned above with the Working group if this can help ameliorate the understanding of its incredible scope in the territory.
I thank you.
Related blogs
