Polisario Front Faces Another Setback as UN Human Rights Council Remains Silent
The Polisario Front, a Sahrawi liberation movement, has experienced another setback on the international stage. During the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the group’s concerns were once again met with silence, further isolating the movement and raising questions about the future of the Western Sahara conflict.
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, did not address the Polisario Front’s claims during his opening remarks. This omission is particularly significant given the UNHRC’s mandate to promote and protect human rights globally. The Polisario Front has long accused Morocco of human rights violations in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which Morocco claims as its own.
This latest disappointment for the Polisario Front comes at a time when the Western Sahara conflict is at a standstill. The UN-led peace process has been stalled for years, and there appears to be no end in sight to the political deadlock. The Polisario Front, which controls the self-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in Western Sahara, has grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress.
The UNHRC’s silence on the Polisario Front’s concerns is likely to further embolden Morocco, which has been pushing for a solution to the conflict that would see Western Sahara integrated into Morocco as an autonomous region. This approach has been rejected by the Polisario Front, which insists on the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination through a referendum.
The international community’s continued inaction on the Western Sahara conflict has real-world consequences for the Sahrawi people. Many Sahrawis live in refugee camps in Algeria, where they have been for decades. The lack of a resolution to the conflict has also hindered economic development in the region.
The UNHRC’s silence on the Polisario Front’s concerns is a reminder of the complex and often-overlooked nature of the Western Sahara conflict. It is a conflict that has dragged on for far too long, with no easy solutions in sight. As the international community continues to grapple with this issue, it is the Sahrawi people who continue to pay the price.
