Sahrawi movement urges end to 'five decades of suffering,' supports Morocco’s autonomy plan before UN

The “Sahrawis for Peace Movement,” a group that split from the separatist Polisario Front, called on the international community from a United Nations platform to help end what it described as “five decades of Sahrawi suffering” through a new approach based on dialogue, coexistence, and realism, rather than entrenched positions that have long stalled a resolution to the Sahara conflict.

During a session of the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee, representatives of the movement said their initiative seeks to “turn the page on the past” by supporting Morocco’s autonomy proposal as a pragmatic solution.

They urged the international community to back their efforts toward “building a new future for the Sahara, within the framework of Morocco’s sovereignty and with full respect for the rights of Sahrawis to manage their affairs democratically.”

Ahmed Barikallah, the movement’s first secretary, addressed the UN for the first time, saying, “It is an honor to speak before this committee on behalf of Sahrawis for Peace, a genuine Sahrawi political organization born five years ago as an expression of our people’s exhaustion and frustration after half a century of suffering.”

He added, “We are not the voice of the Polisario, nor of Morocco, nor of any neighboring country. We are Sahrawis tired of war and exile, but we are also the voice of those who still believe in a peaceful future.” Barikallah described decades of hardship marked by “divided families, young people without prospects, children born under tents, and elders dying far from their homeland.”

Rejecting extremism and rigidity, he said, “We are not here to repeat slogans or perpetuate hardline stances that have monopolized this debate for decades. We are here to propose another path, the path of dialogue, coexistence, and commitment, because we know that fanaticism and walls, like weapons, never bring freedom or prosperity.”

The movement’s external relations chief, Mohamed Cherif, emphasized that “Sahrawis for Peace was born out of the will of thousands of Sahrawis who wish to end the conflict and build a peaceful future.”

Speaking of the group’s second congress held in Dakar in October 2023, he said the movement proposed a “special self-government system” for the Sahara that respects Morocco’s sovereignty and national symbols while granting Sahrawis a political, legislative, and judicial framework aligned with international standards of autonomy.

Cherif said the system would include an elected parliament, an executive body, a council of elders, an independent judiciary, and local security forces coordinating with Moroccan institutions.

Integrating this system into Morocco’s constitution, he argued, “would pave the way for historic reconciliation, end nearly 50 years of conflict, and allow Sahrawis to return home with dignity to contribute to their region’s development instead of remaining trapped in the stagnation and misery of the Tindouf camps.”

He noted that the movement’s proposal draws inspiration from successful autonomy experiences around the world,  such as in Iraqi Kurdistan, Catalonia, and the Basque Country, and builds on Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan, which the group described as “a solid foundation for a realistic and pragmatic solution.”

“The time has come,” Barikallah concluded, “to close the chapter of confrontation and open one of hope, no matter the sacrifices.”