Demands have been renewed, on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, for the fate of more than 400 Sahrawi missing persons held by the Moroccan occupation to be disclosed, and for those responsible to be held accountable for violations committed against unarmed Sahrawi civilians in the occupied territories.
In this context, the Sahrawi National Commission for Human Rights stated in a communiqué issued on Monday, as reported by the Sahrawi Press Agency (SPS), that the Moroccan occupation has practiced abduction and enforced disappearance against Sahrawis since its occupation of Western Sahara. It stressed that “the fate of hundreds of abductees remains unknown,” in violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
According to the Commission, the case involves more than 400 Sahrawi missing persons, including the group of 15 abductees. This has prompted it to call on international justice mechanisms to pursue and hold the Moroccan occupation accountable for its grave violations against unarmed Sahrawi civilians and to disclose the fate of the missing persons.
To determine the fate of these individuals, the Commission called in its statement on international human rights organizations, UN committees and mechanisms, as well as relevant United Nations working groups, to work toward compelling the Moroccan occupation to provide information about missing and forcibly disappeared persons, and to conduct investigations into crimes of torture, killing, abduction, and other violations committed against Sahrawi civilians in the occupied territories.
These demands coincide with the United Nations’ observance of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, marked on August 30. The UN human rights office has emphasized that combating enforced disappearance is linked to truth, justice, and reparation, while 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
The Sahrawi Commission also called for the occupied territories of the Sahrawi Republic to be opened to the media, international observers, and international personalities and parliamentary delegations, considering that enabling these parties to access the region falls within the international community’s responsibility to protect civilians and monitor the human rights situation.
In parallel, and as part of growing solidarity with the Sahrawi cause, the Spanish city of Gijón witnessed a demonstration on Sunday under the slogan “Peace and Justice for the Sahrawi People.” Protesters called for respect for international law, the holding of a referendum on self-determination, and the completion of the decolonization process in Western Sahara.
The demonstration also highlighted the issue of enforced disappearances and the exploitation of the resources of the occupied territory, according to Spain’s Radio and Television of Asturias (RTPA).
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