PUSL.- The Brazil-Western Sahara Parliamentary Friendship Group was created in the Chamber of Deputies, composed of deputies and senators, with the aim of strengthening the bonds of friendship between the two peoples, as published in the official website of the Chamber of Deputies.
The announcement was made by MP Erika Kokay (PT-DF), on Tuesday 6, at a meeting of the Human Rights, Minorities and Racial Equality Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, which assessed the situation and the constant human rights abuses suffered by the Saharawi people.
Erika was chosen unanimously for a mandate of two (2) years, in accordance with Article 9 of the Statute. The other positions on the Executive Board – first and second vice-presidents, first and second secretaries and first and second treasurers – will be elected at a meeting to be convened by the president.
With the minutes and the statute approved, the next step will be to forward them to the General Secretariat of the Bureau to register the act of creation of the Parliamentary Group.
“It is a joy for us to make official the Friendship Group between Western Sahara – which fights unceasingly for its independence and sovereignty – and Brazil, in order to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, promote the exchange of parliamentary experiences and the integration of civil society bodies from both countries to carry out common activities,” said Erika.
For the former federal deputy and president of the Association for the Self-determination of Western Sahara, Maria José Maninha, who also took part in the meeting in CDHMIR, “the Group of Friendship between Western Sahara and Brazil is a powerful instrument to develop various articulations in the National Congress, so that Brazil recognises the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and that it becomes recognised not only by over 80 countries as it is at present, but by all the countries of the world”.
During the meeting in CDMIR, the Polisario Front ambassador to Brazil, Ahamed Maulayali Hamadi condemned several times the military occupation of the territory by Morocco and the violation of international humanitarian law.
Ahamed’s expectation is that the Brazil-Western Sahara Parliamentary Friendship Group will enlighten the Brazilian people about the humanitarian conflict in North Africa, calling it an “open war”.
“This is a historic group with different characteristics to other groups. It defends justice and human rights and must intervene to liberate the last colony of Africa, helping to inform the truth about the occupation, strengthening solidarity with the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic”, the Ambassador pointed out.
Judite Santos, of the national coordination of the MST (Movement of Landless Rural Workers) offered solidarity with the struggle of the Saharawi people for “defending the self-determination of peoples” and made herself available to the Parliamentary Group for the recognition of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which claims sovereignty over the whole territory of Western Sahara, against the occupation of Morocco.
Also taking part in the debate were the Ambassador of Algeria in Brazil, Rachid Bladehane, federal deputies and other guests.
Intervention by the Polisario Front ambassador to Brazil, Ahamed Maulayali Hamadi :
Your Excellency
Deputy Luizianne Lins,
President of the Commission on Human Rights, Minorities and Racial Equality.
Your Excellency
Deputy Erika Kokay,
President of the Brazil-Western Sahara Friendship Group.
Your Excellencies, Deputies, Senators present, willing to defend Justice and International Law in North Africa,
Dear President Maria José Conceição Maninha, Vice-presidents and members of the Association of Solidarity and Self-Determination of the Saharawi People.
Dear professors and academics of the Circle of Solidarity with the Saharawi Republic of the UNB University.
Dear brothers and sisters, collaborators in solidarity with the cause of the Saharawi people,
First of all, in the name of the Saharawi people, who continue to fight for their independence, I would like to thank and congratulate you for your willingness to set up the first Friendship Group in the history of the Brazilian Congress with Western Sahara.
So that you may better understand us, we are the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, better known as Western Sahara, located in North Africa and the only Arab Spanish-speaking country. A characteristic that, combined with our wealth, incites the Kingdom of Morocco, financed by France, to invade and occupy by force part of our lands.
Honourable ladies and gentlemen,
From the beginning of the Moroccan invasion the persecution of our people began. Those who fled were pursued by armed battalions and suffered attacks by planes, and we ended up losing the lives of many women, children and old people. Those who didn’t manage to leave are in the hands of the Majzén, the Moroccan Gestapo. There we have more than 600 disappeared, hundreds of prisoners, semi-disappeared, torture in the streets, unemployment and other calamities.
The occupied part is surrounded by a 2,700 km military wall, with more than 8 million mines, about 150,000 soldiers, radars and alarms, known as the Wall of Shame.
The human rights situation in this prison is documented by many international organisations, such as the United Nations Human Rights Council, the African Union, Human Right Watch, Amnesty International, the American Association of Jurists and many other organisations on an international level.
These organizations annually publicize occurrences and detail situations such as those attacking the following rights of the Sahrawi People:
1. physical and moral integrity.
2. Right to information.
3. Right to a fair trial with due guarantees, preserving the right of those imprisoned for political motivation.
4. Right to childhood
5. House arrest without legal basis.
6. Torture and arbitrary detention.
7. Short-term forced disappearances.
8. Freedom of expression and to hold peaceful meetings.
9. Sexual violence and women’s rights.
10. Poverty and unemployment.
11. Ban on the entry of foreigners into the Occupied Zones.
Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to know these data:
A. The United Nations, both the Security Council and the General Assembly, The European General Court of Justice, The International Court of Justice of The Hague, The African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights, Auto of the Spanish National Hearing – No. 40/2014 and, the Report of the UN Assistant Secretary General for Legal Affairs, in their sentences and positions on the illegal occupation have dictated the following:
1. They gave the right and reason to the Saharawi People, both in their sovereignty and in the enjoyment of their wealth.
2. The existence of sovereignty links between the territory of Western Sahara, with the Kingdom of Morocco is not demonstrated.
3. There were no legal ties capable of modifying the application of Resolution 1514(XV), which refers to the decolonization of Western Sahara.
B. The Saharawi Republic is a founding member of the African Unity (AU), and has diplomatic recognition by over 84 countries. It is recognised by over 30 Latin and Caribbean countries, we have embassies, among others, in Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Cuba, Peru and soon in Colombia, as well as those which are in the process of institutionalisation, in Bolivia and Belize.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I could summarise the current situation as follows:
Given the broad solidarity with the Sahrawi State in the world and confident that law and justice will finally be restored to their rightful owners, we place our trust in the International Community, accepting negotiations with the Kingdom of Morocco, to reach a just and peaceful solution that will allow our people to exercise their right to freedom, sovereignty and self-determination and thus end the last vestiges of colonialism on the African continent.
There were negotiations endorsed by the UN and the African Union which led to the signing of an agreement between Morocco and the POLISARIO Front in 1991, based on the UN Charter.
The Kingdom of Morocco, after making a commitment to all, ended up sabotaging and boycotting the Peace Plan. Serious human rights violations followed and, more dangerously, Morocco’s violation of the 1991 ceasefire and its military attack against Sahrawi civilians on the territory of the Sahrawi Republic on 13 November 2020, together with the lamentable inaction of the United Nations.
Morocco’s new aggression led to the end of the UN ceasefire and peace process and the resumption of the Sahrawi people’s armed struggle for their sovereignty as of 13 November 2020.
The Territory of the Saharawi Republic is currently in a state of open war, which could have the most serious consequences for the peace, security and stability of the entire region.
Excellencies and dear friends
The Brazil-Western Sahara Friendship Group is a historic group, with characteristics very different from other groups. It is an instrument that defends justice, human rights and the honour of intervening for the liberation of the last colony of Africa, helping to inform the truth of the facts about the occupation and strengthening solidarity for the self-determination of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.
That is why I see it possible to develop the following activities, but not the only ones:
– Informing MPs and Senators about the situation of the Sahrawi people and the war situation in North Africa in order to help promote peace and stability in the region for the good of all its peoples.
– Organize official visits of parliamentarians to the conflict area to learn about the situation in the territory, hold meetings with Saharawi parliamentarians and learn about the life of the people, thus living an unprecedented experience.
– Organise exhibitions and possible hearings on the current situation and the culture of the people.
The most important task is to sensitise His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to recognise the Saharawi state and thus to be able to open another embassy in Latin America, in Brasilia.
Starting from the generous act of the majority of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, in which we open embassies in their capitals, it is our aspiration and dream, that the apex of this work is the concretization of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, and celebrate it as an achievement of this illustrious Group of Friendship.
We have always believed in the coherence of the Sister Nation of Brazil. We are convinced that it is one of the countries best placed by its past and recent history, its Constitution and importance, formed by a hospitable and supportive people, to understand the high meaning of a gesture of solidarity and generosity towards a just cause of justice, freedom and democracy, as is the cause of the Saharawi people.
We feel encouraged and happy by the courageous decision taken by the Brazilian government, to recognize the brother State of Palestine as a free and sovereign nation and we hope that this decision will also be extended to the Saharawi Republic, as they are very similar struggles.
Thank you very much for your solidarity and support, wishing our Group success and success.
Long live the Brazilian people and long live the Saharawi people!
