BIR LEHLOU (Sahrawi Republic) 1 April 2026 (SPS) - The Sahrawi Working Group in Charge of Natural Resources and Legal Affairs announced in a statement yesterday the submission of formal written contribution to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights at the end of last month, following a request filed by the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) last year for an advisory opinion regarding the obligations of States in relation to the climate crisis affecting the African continent and the world.
The Sahrawi State chose the date of March 30, 2026, to place its written contribution before the Court, utilizing this continental proceeding to highlight the specific challenges related to situations of occupation and colonization, as is the case in the occupied territories of the Sahrawi Republic.
This move aims to inform the African judges and all concerned States on the unique challenges faced by the Sahrawi people, who find themselves in a dual confrontation against the harshness of nature and the complexities of the legal and political status of their territory.
According to the statement issued by the working group, the Sahrawi memorandum focused on the fundamental link between climate justice and the right to self-determination.
The statement noted that the illegal occupation of Western Sahara by the Kingdom of Morocco, which has prevented the completion of the decolonization process for 50 years, has created an exceptional situation.
This has forced the Sahrawi people to live both as an occupied people in their own homeland and as refugees, forced to endure extreme meteorological conditions. As such, they are among the peoples most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
In its submission, the Sahrawi Republic warned against attempts to exploit noble environmental issues for illegitimate political ends.
The memorandum stressed that the fight against climate change cannot be used as a justification to "greenwash" or polish the international image of the occupation through environmental projects established on illegally occupied and usurped lands.
The Sahrawi State emphasized that the peremptory norms of international law, foremost among them the prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force, must be the governing framework for any international climate obligations.
The working group concluded its statement by reaffirming the SADR's steadfast commitment to protecting its natural resources and ensuring that any efforts to fight climate change pass through full respect for the sovereignty of peoples and their right to self-determination, in line with the founding principles of the African Union and international law. (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
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