Abuja, April 23, 2014 (SPS) - The Sahrawi Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Ubbi Bacharaya Bachir have warned Tuesday of a new Rwanda genocide in Western Sahara, if the Security Council’s Member States, especially France, do not allow for human rights monitoring being included in the MINURSO mandate.
In a statement to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Saharawi ambassador called on the international community, particularly the UN, “not to turn blind eyes to ongoing gross human rights violation in Western Sahara,” adding that the Saharawi Government had strong evidence of Morocco’s human rights abuses in the occupied Western Sahara.
The ambassador went on saying that it is until bloodshed starts in Western Sahara that the UN will think seriously about it, adding that the international community, especially the UN, “cannot really afford making the same mistakes and errors,” as was the case in Rwanda, where around 800.000 people slaughtered.
The Saharawi ambassador diplomat expressed concern that France, a veto wielding member of the council, opposed the inclusion of human rights monitoring in the mandate of the MINURSO.
He also added that Morocco had expressed strong opposition to any attempt to expand the mandate of the mission to include human rights monitoring.
The 15-member UN Security Council, which is currently presided by Nigeria, is expected to adopt a resolution to renew the mandate of MINURSO.
He, on other hand, said the recent report of the UN Secretary-General on Western Sahara had made clear recommendations for human rights monitoring to be included in the mandate of MINURSO.
Mr. Ubbi Bacharaya thanked the Nigerian government for supporting the liberation struggle of Saharawi people, since their occupation in 1975 by Morocco after the departure of colonial power, Spain.
He said the Special Envoy of the Sahrawi President, M’hamed Khadad, was in Abuja on Thursday to deliver a letter on bilateral relations from President Mohamed Abdelaziz to President Goodluck Jonathan.
The envoy added that it was the view of the Sahrawi government that Nigeria be included in the UN Secretary-General Group of Friends on Western Sahara, expressing regret that there was no “African voice’’ in the Group which included USA, UK, France, Russia and Spain. (SPS)
