Geneva (UN Human Rights Council), June 17, 2026 (SPS) – Chairman of the Geneva Group to Support Western Sahara, Ambassador Geraldo Saranga, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mozambique to Switzerland and the United Nations in Geneva, affirmed that the independence of the African continent will remain incomplete unless the Sahrawi people are able to fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination, describing the occupation of Western Sahara as “a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”
This statement came during the high-level symposium held yesterday under the title “Western Sahara and the right to self-determination: Challenges to international legitimacy,” and organized by the Geneva Group to Support Western Sahara on the sidelines of the sixty-second session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Ambassador Saranga considered the struggle of the Sahrawi people a fundamental issue for the African continent, describing Western Sahara as “the last unresolved decolonization issue in Africa.”
In his address to diplomats and representatives of international civil society, he stressed the existence of a deep sense of common destiny, noting that regional commitment to this issue stems from “the conviction that our independence will not be truly complete until our brothers and sisters in Western Sahara, who continue to aspire to freedom and independence, can fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.”
He also reiterated that ending this occupation is a collective duty, stressing that it is “the responsibility of each one of us to support the principles stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations and in international law in a consistent manner and without exception.”
The ambassador issued a strong warning against international negativity, explicitly stating that “remaining silent in the face of this situation is not an option.”
According to the Mozambican diplomat, international silence only serves to continue injustice on the ground, because it “prolongs the systematic violations of human rights in Western Sahara, deprives the right to self-determination, and represents an illegal exploitation of the territory’s natural resources.”
Beyond the direct impact on the Sahrawi people, Ambassador Saranga pointed to the broader structural damage to global governance when international law is selectively ignored, warning that allowing occupation to continue unchecked “directly undermines the integrity and credibility of the multilateral system in which we place our trust and are committed to strengthening.”
In conclusion, Ambassador Saranga welcomed the participants as part of “a global solidarity movement, defending the just cause of Western Sahara around the world,” and solemnly reiterated Mozambique’s “firm commitment to the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination,” calling for a genuine decolonization process based entirely on the freely expressed will of the Sahrawi people. (Was)
090/500/60 (Was)
