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Joseph Madzimure Senior Reporter

Zimbabwe has been commended for its firm support for the de-colonisation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

SADR has been colonised by Morocco since 1975.

The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Deputy Ambassador to Zimbabwe Abdalahe Mohamed Sidemu said Zimbabwe was playing an integral role in condemning the Moroccan invasion.

“The Sahrawi people will not forget the strong support they received from Zimbabwe in their struggle against the Moroccan invasion and the strong relations between the Zanu PF and the Polisario Front,” said Deputy Ambassador Abdalahe Mohamed Sidemu

He said the Sahrawi people were a peaceful people and had given enough time to the United Nations and other international organisations to play their role in bringing peace, but unfortunately they had succumbed to the intransigence of Morocco and its traditional allies who did not want stability and development on the continent

Last week, Spain hosted the 2nd International Youth Forum of Solidarity with Western Sahara in Mollina, Malaga.

The Zimbabwean delegation was led by Zanu PF acting Secretary for Youth League Cde Tendai Chirau. 

Addressing youths from ruling parties across the globe in Spain, Cde Chirau said Africa could not talk of total independence when another African country was under colonial hegemony.

“Youths must make sure that in our life time, we put pressure to ensure that Sahrawi becomes really free and this must be followed by practical actions. 

“We are happy that our country, Zimbabwe we are clear about this and it’s unfortunate that they are many forces of neo-colonialism that are coming to the fore.

“In Zimbabwe we took our land, we won our independence and after winning the independence, we gave land to the landless majority, after that we were put under sanctions, which is another form of neo-colonialism,” said Cde Chirau.

Global youth leaders, Cde Chirau said, should stand firm and ensure collective support of the total Independence of Sahrawi.

“We are saying as global youth leaders, let us stand firm, let us stand together to make sure that we act collectively in support of the independence of Sahrawi. 

“We cannot talk of the Independence of Africa when another African country is still under colonial hegemony. 

“So we are saying we are not independent until Sahrawi has become independent,” he said. 

The International Youth Forum of Solidarity with Western Sahara called for the recognition of the Sahrawi people’s plight and struggle against colonialism and occupation for many decades now, and their unwavering resolve to liberating their country.

The Sahrawi Republic is a territory in north-western Africa, bordered by Morocco to the North, Algeria in the north-east. Mauritania to the east and south and the Atlantic Ocean on the west.

It has been on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing territories since the 1960s when it was a Spanish colony.

During the first decade of the 20th century, after an agreement among the colonial powers at the Berlin Conference in 1884, Spain took possession of Western Sahara and declared it a Spanish protectorate.

After Spain’s withdrawal from the territory, Morocco then annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara, while Mauritania took the southern third. 

This however met staunch opposition from the Polisario Front liberation movement.

In 1979, following Mauritania’s withdrawal due to pressure from the Polisario Front, Morocco extended its control to the rest of the territory.

The war ended in a 1991 ceasefire, overseen by the peacekeeping mission MINURSO, under the terms of the OAU UN Settlement plan.