UN 4th Committee: Petitioners slam separatism as a serious threat to peace in Africa

Several international experts and petitioners slammed, before the 4th Committee of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the “scourge” of separatism which poses “a serious threat to peace and security”, particularly in Africa.

Ismail Aboui Bouchane, professor at the University of Rwanda, underlined the “numerous connections between separatism and terrorist organizations” which are, according to him, documented on a daily basis.

“Some countries openly use it to try to divide and rule. This is the case of the host country of the Tindouf camps” which has delegated part of its territory to an armed separatist militia, in defiance of international law, he said, while denouncing “a hegemonic agenda with destructive aims”.

He noted that Morocco’s eastern neighbor “shelters this separatist entity, arms it militarily, finances it with petrodollars and defends it politically and diplomatically within international organizations”.

For his part, Swiss human rights activist and international relations expert Anouar Ramadan warned against a phenomenon that continues to jeopardize peace, stability and development in Africa and the Arab world.

“Separatism does not only threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, but also disrupts the social fabric, causing immense suffering to millions of people”, he said, citing the case of the armed separatist movement of the “polisario” which exploits the sequestered populations of the Tindouf camps to serve the agenda of its leaders and their mentors.

“Separatist movements, such as the armed group of the polisario often resort to armed conflicts, terrorism and human rights violations, thus creating an environment of fear and insecurity,” he said, while urging the international community to adopt a unified position in the face of these actions.

For his part, Greek university professor Nikaky Lygeros condemned the proven links that the “polisario” maintains with terrorist groups.

“The Polisario, which as each of us knows, is a non-state armed group, maintains relations with terrorist organizations in the Sahel region,” said this geostrategy specialist before the members of the 4th committee of the UNGA.

He recalled in this regard that the founders of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, Abou Walid and Abou al-Sahraoui, were fighters of the armed separatist movement.