Geneva (UN Human Rights Council) 12 September 2025 (SPS) – The Permanent Representative of the United Republic of Tanzania to the UN in Geneva, H.E. Abdallah Saleh Possi, speaking on behalf of Geneva Support Group for Western Sahara, a cross-regional group of states, delivered a strong statement last week at the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council, reiterating the international community’s responsibility to end decades of denial of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
Addressing the plenary session of the Human Rights Council, under Item 2 of the Council’s agenda, Tanzania’s Permanent Representative underscored that fifty years have now passed since two landmark international developments: the 1975 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion, which ruled that Western Sahara was not terra nullius and reaffirmed the Sahrawi people’s inalienable right to self-determination; and the UN fact-finding mission’s conclusion that the overwhelming majority of Sahrawis supported independence and recognized the Frente Polisario as their legitimate political representative.
“Yet, half a century later, the Sahrawi people remain denied their right to self-determination, and the decolonisation process remains incomplete, with serious consequences for human rights, peace, and regional stability,” the statement stressed.
The Group of States expressed deep concern at Morocco’s persistent obstruction of independent human rights monitoring. For the ninth consecutive year, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has been denied access to Western Sahara, despite repeated requests and Security Council calls. The latest report of the UN Secretary-General (S/2024/707) underlined that the absence of impartial and sustained monitoring “undermines the possibility of an accurate assessment of the situation.”
Compounding this gap, the Group denounced the systematic exclusion of international observers and organizations from the territory, as well as the repression of local actors attempting to document developments in the absence of international oversight.
Ambassador Abdallah noted that despite its mandate to organize a referendum on self-determination, MINURSO remains the only UN peacekeeping mission without a human rights monitoring component.
The statement also drew attention to growing reports of harassment, intimidation, and reprisals against Sahrawi activists advocating peacefully for their right to self-determination. In a landmark joint communication issued on 20 March 2025 (AL MAR 2/2025), eight UN Special Rapporteurs denounced Morocco’s “ongoing campaign of repression, racial discrimination, and violence” against Sahrawi defenders, journalists, and advocates, citing 79 documented cases.
Furthermore, the Group recalled the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s decision (A/HRC/WGAD/2023/23), which held that the detention of the Gdeim Izik prisoners is arbitrary and called for their immediate release. Instead of complying, Morocco has subjected the prisoners and their families to reprisals due to their cooperation with UN mechanisms.
In its concluding appeal, the Group of states called on all states and, in particular, the Human Rights Council to, ensure the protection of Sahrawi human rights defenders; oppose all forms of reprisals and intimidation, demand Morocco immediately end discriminatory practices against the Sahrawi people, and to uphold international legality by working toward the only lawful and durable solution: the realization of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, including the option of independence.
He finally concluded that “multilateralism and full respect for international law remain indispensable to achieving peace, justice, and stability in Western Sahara and the wider region.” (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
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