In a now-familiar scene, Tuesday's session of the United Nations General Assembly's Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) once again turned into a heated exchange between Morocco and Algeria over the Sahara issue. Rabat highlighted the growing international support for its autonomy initiative, calling it a realistic and mutually acceptable solution, while Algeria reiterated its call for a referendum and criticized what it described as the UN's failure to end the «last bastions of colonialism». As in previous years, the United Nations General Assembly's Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) once again became the scene of a heated exchange between Morocco and Algeria over the Western Sahara conflict, last Tuesday. In her address, Morocco's representative Majda Moutchou emphasized that the «positive international momentum» favors a «realistic, lasting, and consensual political solution». She pointed out that more than 118 countries, including three permanent members of the Security Council, support Morocco's autonomy plan, first proposed in 2007. Moutchou criticized the committee's limited framing of the issue strictly through the lens of decolonization, arguing that this «does not reflect historical reality or current developments on the ground». She also stressed that the intransigence of a single state «should not obstruct» the political process led by the UN Secretary-General, urging the committee to take into account evolving international legal standards. For its part, Algeria called on the United Nations to take firm action to eradicate what it considers the «last bastions of colonialism». While the UN has acknowledged since the early 2000s the impossibility of organizing a referendum of self-determination due to fundamental disagreements between Morocco and the Polisario Front over voter eligibility, Algeria's representative Amar Bendjama renewed his call for such a referendum. Bendjama criticized the continued failure of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to organize the vote since its creation nearly four decades ago. He urged the committee to «use all available means to complete the decolonization process». Bendjama also attempted to portray Algeria as a neutral party, stating that «the only path» to resolving the conflict lies in resuming direct, serious negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front. Local Officials and Civil Society Speak Out The session also featured interventions from elected officials representing Saharan provinces and civil society activists. Ghalla Bahiya, Vice President of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, stated that «the autonomy plan presented by Morocco to the United Nations in 2007 offers a practical, balanced, and dignified solution», granting a high degree of autonomy to the Moroccan Sahara. Mohamed Abba, representing the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra regional council, highlighted major infrastructure projects in the region and emphasized investment in human development, noting that over 36.5 million dirhams had been allocated to education, health, and youth engagement. The situation in the Tindouf camps also drew attention. Touria Hamain, of the Association for the Freedom of Women Detained in the Tindouf Camps, denounced forced marriages, gender-based violence, and restrictions on freedom of movement and expression. She condemned what she described as the «complicity of the host state», calling on the international community to demand an independent investigation into systematic human rights violations in Algeria. Zine El Abidine El Ouali, representing the African Forum for Research and Studies on Human Rights, condemned the diversion and sale of humanitarian aid, as well as child recruitment in the camps. Activist Saad Benani declared that «the Polisario Front is not a voice for peace, but an armed separatist group that resorts to terrorism, repression, and ideological manipulation». On the other side, the Polisario's representative, Sidi Mohamed Omar, attempted to downplay the significance of Morocco's autonomy plan, dismissing it as «a farce and a maneuver by the occupying state to legitimize its illegal occupation of Western Sahara». Ahmed Mohamed Fall, representing the organization CODESA, echoed this sentiment, claiming that members of his group «face repression, retaliation, siege, and isolation». He called for urgent international intervention «to activate humanitarian law» and urged the establishment of a UN protection mechanism. Broad Support for the Autonomy Plan Several delegations, including those from Saint Lucia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo, the Comoros, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, expressed their support for Morocco's autonomy initiative, describing it as a «realistic and viable solution» to ensure peace and stability in the region. Other delegations urged the concerned parties, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front, to remain engaged in the political process. The representative of Antigua and Barbuda noted that recent backing of the autonomy plan by a UN Security Council member further legitimizes it as a «practical path to a solution». The Dominican Republic's representative encouraged all parties to seize the growing momentum around the initiative to reach a lasting and mutually acceptable agreement. Equatorial Guinea's representative called the Moroccan initiative «a constructive path to resolve this regional conflict» and praised Morocco's efforts in social and economic development in the Sahara, particularly in sustainable development, environmental protection, and the promotion of local culture. In the same vein, Guinea-Bissau's representative said his country's decision to open consulates in Laâyoune and Dakhla was a result of Morocco's commitment to the well-being of the Saharan population. He also voiced concern over the conditions faced by refugees in the Tindouf camps and condemned human rights violations there, particularly those affecting women and children. Kuwait's representative, speaking on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), welcomed UN efforts to resolve the conflict, including those of the Secretary-General and his personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura. He stressed the importance of respecting Morocco's sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for the creation of conditions conducive to renewed dialogue. The Polisario Front: Familiar Allies Weigh In As in past sessions, Venezuela stressed the urgent need to maintain a «political horizon» and to «struggle against colonialism, and expressed solidarity with the people of Western Sahara». Nicaragua described the issue of the Sahara as part of the «global battle against colonialism». Zimbabwe and Namibia reaffirmed their solidarity with the «Sahrawi people» in their «struggle for freedom, independence, and self-determination». South Africa's representative, echoing Algeria's stance, claimed that MINURSO had failed to fulfill its primary mandate of organizing a referendum and called for urgent UN measures to uphold this «long-promised right». The representative of Timor-Leste noted that economic interests «have complicated the political process and contributed to the perpetuation of the status quo». Finally, Belize expressed hope to see «the Sahrawi people, secure in their homeland, with a future that they determine themselves».
