Western Sahara Campaign UK necesita tu apoyo

This October, the UN Security Council will vote on the MINURSO peacekeeping mandate in Western Sahara. For 50 years, the Saharawi people have been waiting for their promised right to self- determination. This is a crucial moment to demand the UK government supports the Saharawi people, and increases its efforts to ensure a just and lasting resolution rooted in the Saharawi right to self-determination.

The UK needs to go further in its support

On 1 June 2025, the UK government issued an alarming joint communiqué that endorsed the Moroccan Autonomy Plan—where Western Sahara would be governed as an autonomous region under Moroccan sovereignty—as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute.

However, the UK also reaffirmed support for the principle of self-determination, the UN-led efforts to pursue peace, and the work of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara—Staffan de Mistura.

As we near the 50th anniversary of Morocco’s invasion of Western Sahara, the peace process remains stalled. Increased support for Staffan de Mistura, and amendments to the MINURSO mandate, are vital to achieving a resolution to this conflict that respects the right of Saharawi to self-determination.

UN Security Council member states, including the UK, need to go further in reaffirming their support for self-determination, to ensure the violent conflict in Western Sahara does not continue.

50 years in exile

Without these changes, the Saharawi people face a future scenario where:

● Armed conflict continues—and more civilians are killed by Moroccan drones operating in the liberated territory;
● Further human rights abuses are committed by Moroccan authorities—following the systematic campaign of repression and violence outlined by UN officials;
● Generations of exiled Saharawis continue to face inhospitable conditions—which are worsening with climate change;
● And, Western Sahara’s natural resources continue to be illegally exploited and Morocco is allowed to greenwash its occupation through renewable energy projects.

Take Action!

You can take action to help the Saharawi people and push for vital change.

As a constituent, your MP has a direct responsibility to represent your concerns to the government.

Please write to your MP and ask them to write to Hamish Falconer MP, Under-Secretary of State, FCDO. You can attach the WSC 2025 UNSC Briefing found here. By writing to your MP, you can express the need for international support, and demand the following points. Use your own words if you can; make some of the points—but don’t try and make them all. Concentrating on a few key demands will be more effective.

The UN Security Council should:

Promote a political, democratic way forward, by
● maintaining a focus on self-determination, which is the legal right of the Saharawi people, and setting a date for a free and fair referendum to be carried out in Western Sahara with an option for independence.

Protect human rights, by
● granting MINURSO—as the only UN peacekeeping mission to lack one—the legal mandate to monitor and report on human rights in the territories controlled by both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO.
● updating the MINURSO resolution to formally note Morocco’s persistent failure to co-operate with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) after repeated requests stretching back to almost a decade, highlighting the need for a robust framework to ensure compliance with human rights obligations.
● calling on Morocco to stop blocking visits to Western Sahara by UN High Commissioners.

Prevent the illegal plunder of natural resources, by
● demanding an end to the illegal extraction of natural resources from Western Sahara, without the consent of Polisario, the UN recognised representative of the indigenous Saharawi.

Ensure climate justice in Western Sahara, by
● monitoring the impacts of increased desertification and flooding on the livelihoods of Saharawi refugees.
● considering how Moroccan dominance of Saharawi natural resources impacts GHG emissions, and international climate finance mechanisms.