Occupied El Aaiun, October 24, 2026 (SPS) — The Sahrawi political prisoners of the Gdeim Izik group addressed an urgent letter to Ambassador Aglaia Balta, Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations and current President of the Security Council, warning against what they described as a "dangerous deviation" of the draft US resolution on Western Sahara from the path of international legitimacy, and attempts to compromise the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination and independence.
In their letter sent from inside Moroccan occupation prisons, the political prisoners emphasized that the question of Western Sahara remains a decolonization issue, and its legal framework cannot be reduced to a single Security Council resolution. They stressed the need to respect relevant UN resolutions, particularly Resolution 690 of 1991, which established the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) within the framework of the UN-Organization of African Unity Settlement Plan.
The letter noted that the draft US resolution, as formulated, involves a modification of the UN mission's mandate to serve the positions of the Moroccan occupying state, rather than adhering to the basis upon which the settlement plan was founded, which is enabling the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to self-determination.
In this context, the political prisoners recalled the events in the Guerguerat region on November 13, 2020, considering that the Moroccan military intervention constituted a violation of the ceasefire. They called on the Security Council to address the causes behind the stumbling of the UN process, rather than introducing amendments that, according to the letter, would undermine the rights and legitimate interests of the Sahrawi people.
The political prisoners demanded that the Security Council members amend and correct the draft resolution in accordance with international legitimacy, warning that any approach that predetermines the outcome of negotiations or imposes upon the Sahrawi people a solution they did not freely choose will not lead to a fair and lasting settlement, and may open the door to possibilities that threaten regional peace and security.
The letter also stressed that the Sahrawi people, wherever they are located—including the refugee camps, the occupied territories, and the diaspora—will not accept the confiscation of their right to freedom, self-determination, and independence, affirming that the will of peoples cannot be bypassed through draft resolutions or political stances.
On another note, the Sahrawi political prisoners of the Gdeim Izik group announced their intention to launch open-ended hunger strikes in protest against what they considered a compromise of their people's right to self-determination. They held the Security Council, particularly the US administration, alongside the Moroccan occupying state, legally, humanitarianly, and morally responsible for their safety and for any consequences that may arise from this step.
At the end of their letter, the political prisoners requested the President of the Security Council to brief the Council members on its contents, calling for respect for international legitimacy and the preservation of the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination and independence. (SPS)
TR/090/500/60 (SPS)
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