PRESS RELEASE
Brown called on to take action to “liberate Africa’s last colony”

12 June 2009

Today a delegation of MP’s, High Commissioners and representatives of the exiled Western Saharan government will go to 10 Downing Street to call on the British government to take action to resolve the 33 year conflict in Western Sahara. The delegation will deliver a letter to Gordon Brown from the President-in-exile, Mohamed Abdelaziz, asking that Britain act immediately to ensure that the Moroccan government adheres to the International Court of Justice ruling and subsequent UN Security Council resolutions in recognising the right of the indigenous Saharawi people to self-determination. The delegation will be followed by a meeting in the House of Commons to launch a major new awareness-raising campaign.

The letter will be delivered by a delegation led by Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group, Jeremy Corbyn MP and Lamine Baali, UK representative of the Polisario Front, the Western Sahara’s government in exile. They will be joined by High Commissioners from several nations and leading academics, legal experts and human rights campaigners. 

Lamine Baali, chief representative of the Polisario Front in the UK said today:
"In 1975 Moroccan forces occupied my country forcing tens of thousands of my people to leave their homes and walk hundreds of miles to refuge in camps in the Algerian desert. Even as they fled Moroccan planes rained napalm bombs down on them. 165,000 of us continue to live in the camps inspite of the ruling by the International Court of Justice and over 100 UN Resolutions. As the UK representative of this democratically run nation-in-exile, I appeal to the people and government of Britain to actively support the legitimate right of my people for self-determination.” 

Jeremy Corbyn MP, said today; 
“The plight of Saharawi people is a forgotten struggle. Our collective failure to address Morocco’s ongoing violation of countless UN Resolutions, to stop the illegal plundering of Western Sahara’s natural resources and to allow human rights abuses to be committed with impunity diminishes Britain, it diminishes the United Nations and it is an affront to all those with a belief in justice. We call on Gordon Brown to take a principled stand and take urgent steps to ensure that the UK takes a lead within the UN Security Council to fulfil its obligation to ensure the referendum on self-determination that was agreed under the terms of the UN ceasefire agreement in 1991.”

Delegation - 11am Downing Street, 12/6/09.

Contact: Press Office – 0794 9999 435 or freesaharacampaign@gmail.com 


The delegation is a joint initiative led by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Western Sahara, the Polisario Front, the Western Sahara Campaign UK, the charity Sandblast and the Free Western Sahara Network. 

Delegates include 
Jeremy Corbyn MP,
Her Excellency Lindiwe Mabuza (High Commissioner of South Africa)
Y.Lamine Baali (Polisario Front Chief-representative UK and Ireland)
Mohamed Liman Ali Ami (Polisario Front),
Ken Ritchie (Western Sahara Campaign UK) 
Danielle Smith (Sandblast) 
Ruth Tanner (Campaigns and Policy Director, War on Want)
Glyn Ford MEP European Parliamentary Labour Party
Giles Forman (Sandblast) 
Stefan Simanowitz (Free Western Sahara Network)
David Cameron MP, leader of the opposition was unable attend due to diary constraints but requested that he be kept informed about the campaign.

Members of the APPG on Western Sahara
Sally Keeble MP 
David Drew MP
Ann Clwyd MP 
Joan Walley MP
Katy Clark MP 
Kelvin Hopkins MP
Paul Flynn MP 
John Grogan MP
John Austin MP 
John Bercow MP
Daniel Kawczynski MP 
Peter Bottomley MP
Nigel Evans MP 
Robert Walter MP
Sir George Young MP 
Mark Williams MP
Mike Hancock MP 
Bob Spink MP
Hywel Williams MP