Geneva (Switzerland), June 29, 2026 (SPS) – Sahrawi human rights activist, Mubarak Oualla, confirmed before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva that the Moroccan occupation’s continued maintenance of the military wall surrounded by millions of mines and explosives in Western Sahara embodies one of the most serious aspects of the ongoing violations against civilians and perpetuates a tragic humanitarian reality that threatens lives and undermines the basic rights of the population.
In a speech commenting on a report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights during the interactive dialogue held by the United Nations Human Rights Council on the impact of anti-personnel mines on the full enjoyment of human rights, Obla explained that the military occupation wall, extending for more than 2,700 kilometers and surrounded by more than seven million mines and explosive remnants of war, still poses a direct and serious threat to the lives of civilians, especially herders, nomadic Bedouins, and children, who face the daily risk of death or permanent disability due to the spread of mines.
The spokesman pointed out that the repercussions of these mines do not stop at human losses, but rather extend to profound humanitarian, social and economic effects, as thousands of Sahrawis are deprived of freedom of movement and prevented from exploiting their lands and pastures. They also impede development and exacerbate the suffering of the population living under the burden of the occupation and its arbitrary, repressive policies.
He added that the continued presence of this military mine belt represents evidence of the dangerous repressive approach pursued by the Moroccan occupation in Western Sahara, which imposes a tragic reality that threatens the safety of civilians and violates humanitarian principles and international law, at a time when human rights calls are increasing to remove mines and protect the civilian population.
In the same context, Obla called on the international community to continue to pay special attention to the serious humanitarian conditions resulting from the spread of mines in Western Sahara, calling for serious and urgent international action to address this ongoing tragedy and to redouble mine clearance efforts and provide the necessary support to the victims, in a way that ensures the protection of civilians and the preservation of their basic rights.
Sahrawi human rights organizations constantly confirm that mines planted by the occupation represent one of the most dangerous threats facing the population in Western Sahara, as they continue to claim lives and cause permanent injuries and disabilities, while this urgent humanitarian issue remains in need of more effective international action to put an end to the suffering of civilians and end the disastrous effects left by the Moroccan occupation. (SPA)
