The first thing that the visitor sees when entering the embassy of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a wooden veneer plaque where it is read that this nation is located in northeastern Africa, north, Morocco; south and east Mauritania, west Atlantic Ocean, northeast Algeria. “We are a State in exile”, said the ambassador Mohamed Salem Ali Ergueibi when granting an interview to Últimas Noticias, which took place in the fifth Villa Romina, headquarters of the embassy located in Prados del Este, Baruta municipality, Miranda. That State has been physically settled in two parts for 40 years: one, in areas occupied by Morocco, and the other fled to the border with Algeria and settled in five camps, which are like large cities run mostly by women "because men They are at war."
The plaque, hung on the wall and guarded by the Venezuelan and Saharawi flags, also says that this is a country where around a million inhabitants live; one of the world's largest producers of fish and phosphates. "The Saharawi subsoil contains other riches in very important deposits of oil and iron", says the plaque.
Currently, the African nation is at war with its neighbor Morocco, which does not recognize them as an independent homeland. "We are in resistance," says the ambassador. At the head of this conflagration (the only one in Africa) is the Polisario Front, an acronym that translates: Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguía el Hamra and Río de Oro.
The ambassador has been in Venezuela for about a month and finds the climate "very similar to ours." In Cuba he studied Hispanic Philology, and also lived in Panama.
On August 29, Mohamed Salem went to Miraflores to present his credentials, coinciding that day with the Colombian ambassador, Armando Benedetti.
“We are going to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations; the recognition was in the government of Herrera Campíns”, he recalled.
—How are relations between Venezuela and the Saharawi progressing?
—During the last few years these relations have had a significant dynamism and momentum; on the part of Commander Chávez and with His Excellency President Nicolás Maduro, who have given these relations a much more practical character with the realization of specific projects.
-Which ones specifically?
—In 2004, a global cooperation agreement was signed on issues such as education, water, and social projects. As a result, Venezuela granted scholarships to Saharawi students and a school was built in the refugee camps called Simón Bolívar. But above all the political support that is very important. Venezuela has always been at the forefront in all international forums, in defense of the right of our people to choose their own political destiny. We want to thank this firm position always shown by the Government and the people. We always value very much the fact that President Nicolás Maduro and also Commander Chávez have conceived our relations in a purely supportive approach. That goes beyond the merely diplomatic.
—For almost 40 years they have had diplomatic representation in Venezuela. Continuous relationships?
-Since 1982, with the opening of the embassy, we have never been absent, not even in the most critical years that Venezuela has had to go through. We understand that we have a very high concept of the resistance struggle that the Venezuelan people have always had from different stages of its history. And more specifically this last stage.
—How do you describe this last stage that Venezuela has experienced?
-We have witnessed the tenacity, the struggle that the Venezuelan people have had to move forward and fight against all coercive measures and sanctions, I would say infrahuman, to which they have been subjected.
How are those fights alike? Venezuela, Saharawi.
—We pursue the same objectives, which are ultimately universal values: justice, freedom and, above all, sovereignty; independence, non-interference in internal affairs. They are values that we all share and this makes the two peoples identify with each other.
—Explain to us what this struggle of the Saharawi people consists of.
—The struggle of the Saharawi people dates back to 1884 when, during the Berlin Conference, the European powers divided up the African territory. Each of these countries has kept a portion, without even having the consent of its own inhabitants. A very colonialist modus operandi, as it has done in various parts of the world. And, what is known as Western Saharawi today, was colonized by Spain ever since.
—This colonization is still alive.
—Until 1975, when, pressured by the different claims of the international community to give its own inhabitants the opportunity to decide their own future through a referendum, Spain was forced to abandon the territory, but it did not do so willingly. best possible way.
"What was the best possible way in your opinion?"
-The best possible way would be not to leave before without giving its inhabitants the right to decide their own future through that referendum, because what they did was the calls through the shameful tripartite agreements of Madrid that basically consisted of hand over our territory to two neighboring countries, Morocco and Mauritania.
—Spain shared out the Saharawi.
—Spain, instead of ending its responsibility, as a colonizing power, what it did was leave a problem even bigger than it was, which is a full-fledged occupation situation.
-What has been the position of the Moroccan monarchy in this conflict?
—In 1975, the King of Morocco Hassam II, after the historic ruling of the International Court in The Hague, which left no doubt that the inhabitants of the territory of Western Saharawi had every right to decide their own future, that there was not even any relationship, as maintained by Morocco between that territory and Morocco; and, therefore, resolution 1514 of the United Nations Organization, which precisely appealed to the right to self-determination, would be perfectly applicable.
—What did Morocco do after what was decided by the International Court in The Hague?
—After this ruling, Hassam II appealed, he organized what is known as the Green March which was basically where 350.000 Moroccans invaded our territory, bringing with them an army that practiced what we can perfectly call 'Burned Earth'.
—What consequences did this so-called Green March produce?
—It was right there when the exodus of the Saharawis towards Algerian territory began, which was at that time the only border where they could find shelter and security, because the Moroccan army came from the north, Mauritania came from the south and to the west there was only the Atlantic. Algeria, seeing the situation, gave shelter and refuge.
"And what followed?"
—From then on, the Polisario Front, which had been created years before, 1973, began to organize itself and see what forms of struggle were the most convenient. Armed struggle was chosen, because at that time it was the only language known by the two invading powers.
"And in that confrontation did any party invoke peace?"
—In 1979 Mauritania signed a peace pact with the Polisario Front and withdrew. However, Morocco, by virtue of those Madrid agreements, theoretically had to keep the northern part, it also kept the southern part, which was the one that, according to the treaties, belonged to Mauritania; Totally illegal agreements that did not have the support of the owner of the territory, which is the Saharawi people.
—What is the status of that fight?
—Spain withdrew in exchange for economic benefits, leaving an unresolved problem and we are in 2022 still struggling to obtain the right that assists us.
-What has been the role of the UN?
—In 1991, after 16 years of war, the UN signed together with the two parties to the conflict (Morocco and the Polisario Front) the so-called Settlement Plan, which was basically a series of steps that in the end had theoretically to conclude with a referendum where the Saharawi people could decide between the two options put on the table: join Morocco or determine their own future and therefore the independence of the territory.
—How did the Saharawi people receive that Settlement Plan?
—This raised a lot of hope for the Saharawi people, the time had finally come. However, the different maneuvers of Morocco have been hindering this referendum, until today.
—What steps have been taken to unblock these obstacles?
—The UN installed a contingent in the territory that in theory had to be in charge of organizing the referendum. In the year 2020, after 30 years of having installed this contingent, with total inaction, since it has not been able to fulfill the commitments it made with the parties, the Polisario Front found itself in the position of letting things continue as they were or break the relationship that united it with the UN and its peacekeeping operation.
"Did he break with the UN?"
—The events were so precipitated that in November 2020 after Morocco violated the ceasefire and therefore Military Agreement No. 1 that delimited the position of each of the troops, the Polisario Front, in use of its legitimate defense , the war with Morocco started again and that's where we are.
—What is the balance of that war?
—There are attacks and bombardments against Moroccan positions. Because we must not forget that Morocco built a wall that divides the territory from north to south. This is an element perhaps a little unknown; after the Chinese Wall, the largest in the world. That wall is surrounded by between 7 and 10 million antipersonnel mines. That wall is the great unknown.
-How many kilometres?
—2.400 kilometers. The late Uruguayan poet Eduardo Galeano once went to the camps and was shocked by the size and great ignorance of that wall. He said that more dangerous than physical walls are the walls of isolation. Galeano appealed that the struggle of the Saharawi people, as fair as it is, is largely unknown.
"Responsibility of the media?"
-The calls mass-media they pay more attention to those topics that in economic terms can be more profitable for the media itself. The struggle of the Saharawi people, which is a peaceful and pacifist people, has not enjoyed all the prominence it should have in the media. It is precisely on this subject that Eduardo Galeano was speaking.
—What has diplomacy done to resolve this armed conflict?
—The Polisario Front made that decision in use of its legitimate defense and we have been at war for two years. This is also accompanied by very intense diplomatic work throughout the world to make the struggle and reality of the Saharawi people recognized; that it is no longer that of a people who want to live in peace, in harmony with all the countries of the world but on the condition that their particularity and their own rights are respected, a right that is also endorsed by international resolutions.
—What has been the result of that diplomatic work?
—It is continuous, consistent, persistent work and fortunately today we have a large number of countries that recognize us as a republic and as a State, including Venezuela. Also in Africa we have several embassies, in many European countries we have representatives of the Polisario Front. I would say that the presence of the Saharawi and the Polisario Front is very consolidated.
—Why does Morocco want to be awarded the territory of the Saharawi?
—Morocco's expansionist doctrine is what has led it to claim the territory of the Saharawi. It is in the imaginary of Morocco what they call the authentic borders and that means that only they determine where their borders end, which is totally illogical.
—Why this Moroccan insistence on keeping that territory?
—All this expansionist desire of Morocco is due precisely to the fact that the Saharawi territory is rich in natural resources. We are talking about one of the largest phosphate reserves in the world, one of the most important fishing banks in the world. That is also a battle that we are waging in the courts of the world. In fact, there are two important judgments issued by the European Court in which it is reaffirmed that Western Saharawi and Morocco are two separate and distinct territories. Therefore, any trade agreement signed with Morocco should not include resources or products from the Saharawi.
What does the African Union say?
—Just today the Court of the African Union of Peoples has just issued an important sentence where it ratifies the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence. The lawsuit was filed as a result of Morocco's entry into the African Union in 2017.
—What are the powers that are behind the non-independence of the Saharawi?
—France has always been the main supporter of Morocco. That is why we appeal to France to honor the principles of the French Revolution: equality, liberty and fraternity. One has to have some common sense; what is not good for you, do not want it for anyone.
- What is the position of the United States?
—The United States has always had an important role. Donald Trump, days before the end of his mandate, issued his famous tweet in which he said that the Saharawi is Moroccan. The current administration has not followed through on that Trump pronouncement, which for us is a positive sign.
Retail
* ”We are facing a huge propaganda machine that spares no effort to discredit us. First, they have used the strategy of physically eliminating the Polisario Front and now what they are doing is trying to disqualify our struggle”
* “They allocate huge resources to, through their subversive propaganda, try to influence the fairness and nobility of our struggle. And we have to be on guard to counteract all this defamation; We do it with solid arguments, with irrefutable proof that the fight of the Saharawi people is for sovereignty, freedom and justice”.
* “The Saharawi issue has been on the agenda of the United Nations Organization since the 60s and every year the General Assembly ratifies the right of the territory of Western Saharawi, also considering it as one of the 16 non-autonomous territories that remain pending. They already pass the 70 resolutions "
* “Western Saharawi is, today, the last colony in Africa; all African countries have gained their independence from colonialism.”
