Senegal reaffirmed its support for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative during the recent regional seminar of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) held in Dili, Timor-Leste, considering it as the compromise solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
"My country expresses its support for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative as a compromise solution in line with international law, the United Nations Charter, and various resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly," stated Senegal’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Ambassador Diamane Diome.
During the seminar, the Senegalese diplomat emphasized that the Moroccan Initiative, described as serious and credible in successive Security Council resolutions since 2007, enjoys growing international support and increasing recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces.
He recalled that 117 countries—more than 60% of UN member states, including two permanent members of the Security Council—support this Initiative, noting that “in this momentum of support for a just cause, my country is proud to have opened, on April 5, 2021, alongside more than thirty other UN member states, a General Consulate in the Moroccan Sahara.”
Mr. Diome also highlighted the progress made by Morocco in promoting human rights in its southern provinces, which has been commended by the Security Council, particularly in its Resolution 2756.
He further praised the substantial investment policies and projects implemented under the new development model for the Moroccan Sahara, launched by King Mohammed VI in 2015 with a budget exceeding $10 billion.
This momentum, he stated, reflects the Kingdom's ambition to build a sustainable future for the populations of its southern provinces through the promotion of socio-economic and cultural development.
On the same occasion, the Senegalese diplomat welcomed the participation of democratically elected representatives from the Moroccan Sahara in the various C-24 committee proceedings.
He also praised Morocco’s full respect for the ceasefire and its good-faith cooperation with MINURSO, calling on other parties to refrain from any actions detrimental to the political process.
He mentioned the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Moroccan Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, to relaunch the political process under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations.
Mr. Diome called on Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the "Polisario" to engage in good faith in the Geneva roundtable process, maintaining the same format as previous editions.
Additionally, he called for better collaboration with UN programs and agencies to ensure the fundamental rights of the populations in the Tindouf camps, particularly their freedom of expression and association, as well as access to international humanitarian aid.
Finally, the Senegalese diplomat reaffirmed his country’s full support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and its full sovereignty over its southern provinces.
