UN: Ambassador Hilale Denounces Human Rights Abuses Perpetrated in Tindouf Camps

Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, Ambassador Omar Hilale, denounced on Tuesday before the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly, the violations of human rights perpetrated by the “Polisario” against the populations held captive in the Tindouf camps.

“While the populations of the Moroccan Sahara live in peace and prosperity, and enjoy all their rights, our fellow citizens held captive in the camps illegally managed by the outlawed gang of the “polisario” continue to be deprived of their most basic rights”, Hilale told the members of the Committee.

Indeed, the “polisario”, an armed separatist group, which despotic and linked to terrorism in the Sahel-Saharan region, spreads terror among civilian populations, while its leaders accumulate fortunes and enrich themselves by diverting humanitarian aid intended for the populations of the camps, said the ambassador.

Fortunately for these populations, the Moroccan diplomat went on to say, “the wind of change has been blowing for months on these camps of shame. The populations no longer want to live in precariousness and charity. They no longer believe in the myths and lies by the mercenaries of the “polisario” during these four decades. They aspire to freedom, dignity and respect for their rights. They are in search of a better life, in prosperity and where young people have hope and a future”.

For Hilale, the international community cannot remain silent in the face of the distress of these populations. It has the obligation to save them from the horrors of the “Polisario” and give them the freedom to return to their mother country, Morocco. She must also grant them a fundamental right which is recognized by humanitarian international law and by Security Council resolutions, namely to undergo a headcount, insisted the ambassador.

He also stressed that the registration of these populations is by no means a political operation, but a humanitarian requirement and a statutory obligation which is long overdue, and which must be implemented as soon as possible. “It is about respect for the most basic rights of these populations held captive in inhuman conditions for more than 45 years,” Hilale insisted.