Bir Lehlu, 5 March 2024 – The President of the Sahrawi Republic and Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, has expressed his concern about the possible consequences of the transfer of Western Sahara’s airspace to Morocco, in a letter sent to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.
In the letter, Ghali highlights reports in the Spanish media about an offer made by the Spanish Prime Minister during his recent visit to Rabat. The Saharawi leader warns that this action would constitute a violation of the international status of the territory, listed by the United Nations as pending decolonisation, and of Spain’s international obligations as the administering power of Western Sahara.
President Ghali stresses that the eventual transfer of control of Saharawi airspace to Morocco could further destabilise ongoing efforts to revive the UN peace process in the region. This comes in the context of Morocco’s violation of the 1991 ceasefire in November 2020.
In response to these concerns, Ghali points out that for decades Western Sahara’s airspace has been under the management of Spanish air traffic controllers in the Canary Islands, in line with Spain’s international responsibility as the Territory’s administering power, according to UN resolutions and rulings.
The Saharawi leader also refers to legal opinions that support Spain’s position as administering power, including the 1975 Madrid Agreement, which according to the UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, did not transfer sovereignty over the territory.
In addition, Mr Ghali cites rulings of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights and the European Court of Justice, which uphold the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination and recognise the separate status of Western Sahara.
In conclusion, President Ghali reiterates the POLISARIO Front’s call on the United Nations to ensure full respect for the status of Western Sahara as a territory pending decolonisation. MINURSO, the UN mission for the referendum in the region, remains active, and Spain is called upon to assume its international, legal and moral responsibilities towards Western Sahara until the conclusion of the decolonisation process of the territory.
