Bir Lehlou (Saharawi Republic) 28 November 2019 (SPS)- The Ministry of Information of the Saharawi Republic, issued an official communiqué on Thursday, criticising the irrelevant Spanish government’s warning to its citizens not to visit the Saharawi refugee camps because of a so-called raise in terrorism in the Republic of Mali, knowing that the camps are situated in Algeria.
The Saharawi government considered the Spanish statement to be suspicious especially that it was issued by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately after a meeting between the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and his Moroccan counterpart.
Following is the full text of the Communiqué translated from Arabic:
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Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic
Ministry of Information
Bir Lehlou, 28 November 2019
The Spanish Foreign Ministry issued a strange statement on Wednesday advising its citizens not to visit the Sahrawi refugee camps, arguing that it did so due to security threats that it claims could be caused by growing instability in the Republic of Mali.
The Government of the Saharawi Republic and the Polisario Front express their deep regret and surprise at this suspicious statement, because the warning against visiting the Sahrawi refugee camps is not justified, except if there are political reasons or objectives that are the result of the striking complicity that doesn’t only target these refugees alone but also the hosting country of the refugee itself.
It is regrettable that the Spanish government continues to persecute the Sahrawi refugees even after it was behind their forced exodus from their homes, forty-four years ago, because of its conspiracy with the Moroccan state of occupation, which sought to exterminate them bombarding them with internationally prohibited napalm and white phosphorus.
It is regrettable that the Spanish government, which is the main cause of the tragedy of the Sahrawi people, is still seeking to harm this same people’s noble struggle and tarnish the image of the Sahrawi refugee camps, while evading its responsibility to end their suffering by solving the problem it has created.
Instead, the Spanish Government seeks once again to create ambiguity and confusion, and even paint a made up picture of the horror and imminent danger in the Sahrawi refugee camps, after it had previously sought to compel humanitarian organizations there to stop their activities, and thus reduce the humanitarian support provided to these refugees, in full synchronization with the campaign led by Morocco and France to the same end.
The Sahrawi government and the Polisario Front reaffirm that there is absolutely no basis for such warnings to visit the Sahrawi refugee camps, which are well-known for their safety. As for the terrorism in the Sahel, it is also well-known who is encouraging, supporting and creating problems for the countries of the region, as this phenomenon feeds mainly from the drugs originating from the Kingdom of Morocco, the largest producer and exporter of cannabis in the world.
While condemning this irrelevant statement, unsurprisingly coming immediately after the meeting of the Spanish Foreign Minister with his Moroccan counterpart, the Sahrawi government and the Polisario Front call on the Spanish government to stop this shameful targeting of the Sahrawi people and to assume its political, legal and moral responsibility towards them through the acceleration of the decolonization of Western Sahara, by enabling the people of the country to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence. (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)