Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Inhofe
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) spoke on the Senate floor to provide an update on Western Sahara.
As Prepared for Delivery:
You’ve heard me talk about this before—but it bears repeating, because the Sahrawis are a voiceless people. That’s why I am here – speaking up for them when no one else will.
So how we got here: as West Africa was being decolonized, Western Sahara was clear and declared itself an independent nation, despite Morocco attempting to claim it as a territory.
In 1966, the U.N. General Assembly resolution agreed that a referendum of self-determination should be held. Spain, Morocco, everyone agreed, and planned to hold one in 1975.
Self-determination. Merely letting the Sahrawi people decide, for themselves the “imperative principle of action” – the right to judge for themselves to be independent or be part of Morocco.
This was just the first promise of a referendum. To date, none have been kept.
An International Court of Justice opinion from 1975 also agreed that Morocco did not have sovereignty over the land and that a referendum of self-determination should be held.
That was the second promise.
Morocco maintained its unlawful claim to Western Sahara, and after decolonization, attempted to annex the territory with force.
Western Sahara – officially the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, through the Polisario, defended their rights and land.
After more than a decade of violence from Morocco, the United Nations finally intervened in 1991 and both sides agreed to a cease-fire and a path forward.
Called “the Settlement Plan,” it solidified that Morocco and Western Sahara agreed to hold a referendum and created the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
For those keeping track – that was the third promise. And, it’s worth noting that the U.N. regularly reaffirms the 1991 commitment to a referendum for self-determination.
The planned referendum in 1992 never took place and the process stalled, though the ceasefire held – Morocco just wouldn’t hold up its end of the bargain.
Former Secretary of State James Baker tried again in 1997. Named Special Envoy to Western Sahara, Baker worked multiple plans with Morocco and Western Sahara.
The most notable – the Houston Agreement – was signed by Morocco and Western Sahara and recommitted to the referendum of self-determination, planned for 1998 – the fourth time.
Morocco, recognizing they would likely lose a vote, quickly tanked all negotiations the next year by declaring they would never accept a referendum that included independence as an outcome, despite years of promises otherwise.
The conflict stalled then – leaving us in what is called a “frozen conflict” for more than two decades. A frozen conflict is easy for the global community to ignore, but always benefits the oppressor, Morocco, over the oppressed in Western Sahara.
At the end of last year – November, to be precise – Morocco tried to violently crush peaceful protests in the Gueguerat region.
The Western Saharans were peacefully protesting Morocco’s direct violation of the U.N. ceasefire agreement by using the road in this region, but the international community did nothing.
Then – truly the worst thing – in December of 2020, the United States recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
That decision was wrong – and reversed decades of United States policy- policy we’ve held since 1966. It was a shocking announcement, and deeply disturbing to all who value individual rights for self-determination.
That’s why earlier this year, Sen. Leahy and I led 25 of our colleagues in a bipartisan letter to President Biden, urging him to reverse the harmful policy and recommit to a policy of self-determination.
After all – isn’t supporting the right to self-determination fundamental to our DNA as Americans?
My colleagues and I aren’t alone in our push for Western Sahara to have the right to a referendum. So does the African Union, which is comprised of 55 member states.
We have most of the European community, who support the U.N. efforts, on our side. The European Court of Justice also ruled that Western Sahara is not part of Morocco and that no EU economic agreements can cover Western Sahara.
Tens and tens of thousands of Sahrawi live in refugee camps, primarily in Tindoof, Algeria. They have been forced from their homes, waiting for a resolution.
Allowing this process to stall year after year has cost them a generation of freedom. Several of us in the Senate have visited those camps many times – as recently as 2019 – where we saw clearly their persistence and hope.
The United States owes it to the Sahrawi people to honor our commitment, to help ensure the Moroccans live up to theirs, and to see this referendum through.
We’re asking President Biden to be a partner in that effort, but since our letter in February, we’ve had no response.
Worse, the administration has reaffirmed the United States’ recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty and is continuing plans to open a consulate in Dakhla, a city in Western Sahara.
This is disappointing to say the least – human rights and basic liberties are at stake.
Listen to these words from Sultana Sidibrahim Khaya, published in a CNN op-ed two weeks ago. I’m going to quote from it, but then I would also like to request unanimous consent to place her full op-ed into the record.
“Morocco’s repression of the Sahrawi people, and Sahrawi human rights defenders in particular, is well documented. The Sahrawis have struggled under Moroccan occupation since 1975, and this repression will continue until the occupation is ended. And while the United Nations Security Council supports giving the people of Western Sahara the chance to determine their own future through a referendum, Morocco has refused to allow the referendum to take place, depriving us of the chance to exercise our right to self-determination.”
She continued: “I cannot find the words to describe the endless suffering that I personally, and the Sahrawi people more generally, have endured under this violent occupation. But we remain strong, our will unshaken, and we will persevere with our peaceful resistance.”
The Sahrawis are resolute and we should be too.