Ali El Aallaoui Western Sahara from Trump to Biden: the American game
To this day, the UN maintains a list of 17 territories considered as non-self-governing – territories that have yet to be decolonized. All, except one, are islands, the vast majority administered by the United Kingdom; the smallest, Pitcairn, has just 43 residents. By far the largest by population (582,000 inhabitants) and land area (266.000, 00 sq. km) is Western Sahara.
In 1960, the UN passed Resolution 1514, which declared, “All peoples have the right to self-determination.” In 1965, Western Sahara was recognized as a non-self-governing territory, after Spain renounced its sovereignty. In 1990, the UN General Assembly reaffirmed that Western Sahara was still waiting to be decolonized and that its future should be determined by its people.
Unfortunately, the UN has not yet fulfilled its commitments towards the Saharawi people to determine their fate. The decolonization of Western Sahara has remained an endless game that has now been joined in full force by the United States, Israel, and by the territory’s new colonizer, Morocco.
From a legal point of view, there is no doubt about the legal status of Western Sahara. The International Court of Justice, in 1975, ruled that neither country which had claimed the territory, Mauritania and Morocco, had any sovereign rights over it. The United Nations considers Spain’s agreement the same year to transfer sovereignty to Morocco and Mauritania invalid.
To this day, the UN maintains a list of 17 territories considered as non-self-governing – territories that have yet to be decolonized. All, except one, are islands, the vast majority administered by the United Kingdom; the smallest, Pitcairn, has just 43 residents. By far the largest by population (582,000 inhabitants) and land area (266.000, 00 sq. km) is Western Sahara.
In 1960, the UN passed Resolution 1514, which declared, “All peoples have the right to self-determination.” In 1965, Western Sahara was recognized as a non-self-governing territory, after Spain renounced its sovereignty. In 1990, the UN General Assembly reaffirmed that Western Sahara was still waiting to be decolonized and that its future should be determined by its people.
Unfortunately, the UN has not yet fulfilled its commitments towards the Saharawi people to determine their fate. The decolonization of Western Sahara has remained an endless game that has now been joined in full force by the United States, Israel, and by the territory’s new colonizer, Morocco.
From a legal point of view, there is no doubt about the legal status of Western Sahara. The International Court of Justice, in 1975, ruled that neither country which had claimed the territory, Mauritania and Morocco, had any sovereign rights over it. The United Nations considers Spain’s agreement the same year to transfer sovereignty to Morocco and Mauritania invalid.
To this day, the UN maintains a list of 17 territories considered as non-self-governing – territories that have yet to be decolonized. All, except one, are islands, the vast majority administered by the United Kingdom; the smallest, Pitcairn, has just 43 residents. By far the largest by population (582,000 inhabitants) and land area (266.000, 00 sq. km) is Western Sahara.
In 1960, the UN passed Resolution 1514, which declared, “All peoples have the right to self-determination.” In 1965, Western Sahara was recognized as a non-self-governing territory, after Spain renounced its sovereignty. In 1990, the UN General Assembly reaffirmed that Western Sahara was still waiting to be decolonized and that its future should be determined by its people.
Unfortunately, the UN has not yet fulfilled its commitments towards the Saharawi people to determine their fate. The decolonization of Western Sahara has remained an endless game that has now been joined in full force by the United States, Israel, and by the territory’s new colonizer, Morocco.
From a legal point of view, there is no doubt about the legal status of Western Sahara. The International Court of Justice, in 1975, ruled that neither country which had claimed the territory, Mauritania and Morocco, had any sovereign rights over it. The United Nations considers Spain’s agreement the same year to transfer sovereignty to Morocco and Mauritania invalid.
To this day, the UN maintains a list of 17 territories considered as non-self-governing – territories that have yet to be decolonized. All, except one, are islands, the vast majority administered by the United Kingdom; the smallest, Pitcairn, has just 43 residents. By far the largest by population (582,000 inhabitants) and land area (266.000, 00 sq. km) is Western Sahara.
In 1960, the UN passed Resolution 1514, which declared, “All peoples have the right to self-determination.” In 1965, Western Sahara was recognized as a non-self-governing territory, after Spain renounced its sovereignty. In 1990, the UN General Assembly reaffirmed that Western Sahara was still waiting to be decolonized and that its future should be determined by its people.
Unfortunately, the UN has not yet fulfilled its commitments towards the Saharawi people to determine their fate. The decolonization of Western Sahara has remained an endless game that has now been joined in full force by the United States, Israel, and by the territory’s new colonizer, Morocco.
From a legal point of view, there is no doubt about the legal status of Western Sahara. The International Court of Justice, in 1975, ruled that neither country which had claimed the territory, Mauritania and Morocco, had any sovereign rights over it. The United Nations considers Spain’s agreement the same year to transfer sovereignty to Morocco and Mauritania invalid.