Ghana forum on Western Sahara

As the Moroccan authorities and Crans Montana Forum once more plan to hold another provocative meeting in one of the disputed Western Sahara territories, the Ghana Solidarity Forum of Western Sahara, urges all peace and freedom lovers in Ghana to condemn the insistence of Morocco and Crans Montana Forum and subsequently boycott the meeting that defies international law on the whole question of Western Sahara.

Under the auspices of the Kingdom of Morocco, Crans Montana Forum, the Swiss-based international NGO, would from March 17 to 22, 2016 hold the meeting at which prominent and distinguished African personalities are expected to discuss a wide range of issues in Daklah, one of the four Western Sahara territories under Moroccan invasion.

The Forum has learnt that this second meeting would be held in the disputed territory again after the first meeting last year failed.

The failure (poorly patronised) of the meeting was as a result of strong opposition and condemnation by several bodies, including the African Union, governments, as well as civil society groups around the world.

It is reiterated that Morocco, the occupying power, has no legitimacy to deal with third parties on the occupied territories because the Western Sahara is considered as the last colony in Africa. The issue has, since 1963 been on the agenda of the UN as an issue of decolonization.

It must be noted that several international, regional and sub-regional bodies including the UN and its agencies particularly, the International Court of Justice, have reaffirmed unequivocally that Morocco does not exercise any legal sovereignty or administered power over Western Sahara.

More recently, the European Court of Justice, in its judgement of December 10, 2015 ordered the annulment of a trade agreement between Morocco and the European Union since it included the occupied territories.

The Ghana Forum on Western Sahara, therefore, condemns the holding of the event and calls upon all national organizations, personalities, institutions and civil society to dissociate themselves from any act that may lend legitimacy to an illegal and brutal occupation.

The continuous occupation has led to persistent violation of fundamental human rights of the Saharawi people and in denying an entire people, their inalienable right to self-determination and freedom.

In addition, we demand that the Crans Montana Forum, its partners as well as sponsors, refrain from holding the meeting in the disputed territory in violation of international law.

The Forum, specifically calls on all who have or are yet to be invited, to respectfully decline such invitation in the interest of the long-oppressed but resolute Saharawi people, in accordance with relevant principles of international law applicable to Western Sahara, a non-self-governing territory.

The Ghana Forum for Western Sahara was formed in Accra in 2010. It has a Steering Committee from a number of organizations including Ghana Bar Association, Trade Union Congress, National Union of Ghana Students, Ghana Journalists Association, Socialist Forum of Ghana, among many others. It is chaired by respected Human Rights Lawyer, Akoto Ampaw.