"As deeply committed human rights activists, we are writing to express our concern about the ongoing human rights violations being committed against" the Tindouf camps’ population, said Thursday the NGOs representatives in the letter.
They added that at a time when the UN Security Council discusses the renewal of the mandate for the MINURSO, It “should examine the merits and applicability of the Autonomy Plan presented by the Government of Morocco supported by the United States and France,” recalling that the former UNSG’s Personal Envoy Peter Van Walsum said that the independence is an “unrealistic” goal.
“The conditions of the individuals in the camps continue to worsen,” said the letter, the camps’ population suffer from “denial of freedom of movement, and denial of all other basic fundamental rights, demonstrating that the status quo is inadequate.”
“The Security Council cannot allow the status quo to continue and must support an equitable and politically acceptable solution as laid out in the [Moroccan]Autonomy Plan,” said the US NGOs.
They pointed out that this plan gives the UNSC an opportunity to put an end to the long-running conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.
The letter also recalled that the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton noted on March 23 that Morocco's autonomy plan is “serious, realistic and credible,” adding that it is a potential approach to satisfy the aspirations of the Sahrawi population “to run their own affairs in peace and dignity.”
Now the Security Council has the historic opportunity to ensure the safety, security, health, and fundamental rights of the Sahrawi population in the Tindouf camps on the basis of a lasting solution to the conflict and the establishment of their autonomy,” concluded the letter.
The letter was signed by presidents of the Leadership Council for Human Rights, Kathryn Porter Cameron, the Institute for Religion and Public Policy, Joe Grieboski, Teach the Children International, Nancy Huff, as well as Leah Farish civil rights lawyer and Derek H. Davis Professor at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
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