Gabon reiterated its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan, yesterday in New York, calling it “the compromise solution” to settle the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara. The statement came during the UN C24 ordinary session that is being held on June 10-21.
Jean-Pierre-Hemery Doumbeneny-Ndzigna, the First Advisor to the Permanent Mission of Gabon to the UN, said that “the Security Council in its successive resolutions has considered the Moroccan autonomy initiative serious and credible since 2007.”
The Gabonese official said that the initiative is “consistent with international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly.”
He also highlighted the growing international support for the autonomy plan, noting that “more than 107 countries have endorsed the Moroccan plan.”
Doumbeneny-Ndzigna noted the opening of around 30 consulates from Arab, African, American, and Asian countries, as well as regional organizations based in Laâyoune and Dakhla.
The official also touted the participation of representatives from the Moroccan Sahara in the C24 session re-elected during the September 8, 2021 vote, as well as in the seminars held in Caracas on May 14-16, and the round tables in Geneva.
He further lauded the socio-economic development in the Moroccan Sahara, thanks to investments and projects implemented under Morocco’s development model launched in 2015.
The Gabonese diplomat also commended Morocco’s significant achievements in human rights, as acknowledged by Security Council resolutions, notably 2703. He cited the strengthening of regional commissions of the National Human Rights Council in Laâyoune and Dakhla, bilateral cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, treaty bodies, and special procedures of the Human Rights Council.
He highlighted Morocco’s “full respect” of the ceasefire in the Moroccan Sahara and its ongoing cooperation with MINURSO. He called upon the Polisario to respect the ceasefire and lift restrictions on MINURSO’s movement and resupply capabilities in the eastern defense region of the Moroccan Sahara.
The Gabonese diplomat also welcomed the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Moroccan Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, to facilitate the political process, particularly his visits to Rabat, Algiers, and Nouakchott.
He renewed his country’s call for the prompt resumption of the round table process between Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2703.
The official urged all parties to “stay engaged in the political process to achieve a realistic, pragmatic, and lasting compromise solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.”
The Gabonese diplomat expressed his country’s “deep concern” about the situation of the populations in the Tindouf camps in southwest Algeria, particularly women and children, and condemned violations of their fundamental rights.
He stated that Gabon condemns the Polisario’s violations, which deprive the Tindouf camp populations of their rights and diverts humanitarian aid intended for them for its personal enrichment. He denounced the Polisario’s acquisition of weapons, reported by several sources, including the January 2023 World Food Program (WFP) report, “Summary report of the evaluation of the provisional strategic plan for Algeria (2019-2022),” and the 2015 European Anti-Fraud Office report.