Morocco and its supporters face a particularly torrid time when the United Nations  General Assembly to his week turns to the 17 colonies  before the world organisation waiting to shake off occupiers and gain self-rule.

The absolute monarchy in Rabat goes into the fourth committee of  UNGA, which deals with decolonization issues, days after the  highest European court ruled that it has for years been selling stolen goods from the Western Sahara it has been illegally occupying for  49 years.

The European Court of Justice, Europe’s apex judicial body, has ruled that:

§ Morocco and Western Sahara are two separate and distinct countries;

§ Morocco has no legal claim to Western Sahara, the Spanish colony abandoned by Spain after the death of dictator Francisco Franco;

§ Polisario Front,  the Saharawi liberation movement, is the authentic representative of the Saharawi people; and 

§All agreements Morocco has entered into with other clients buying Western Sahara property and the products from its land and sea resources are null and void.

The ECJ ruling is the climax of eight years of litigation and cannot be appealed.

Morocco has taken the place of its erstwhile ally apartheid South Africa as the bad guy at the UN, by using the undercover backing it has from a permanent member of the Security Council to flagrantly disregard the rulings of the world organisation ordering it to stop exploiting the resources and end its cruel occupation of Western Sahara.

It is not expected to change tack.

However the European members that have of late shown overt support for Morocco’s attempt to legitimize its illegal occupation will not be able to ignore the ruling of the ECJ.

These are France, Spain and Denmark that are all on the record at the UN as condemning Morocco’s illegal occupation.

Morocco cannot avoid the economic implications of the ECJ ruling.

It’s attempt to sell prime beachfront properties along the 1400 kms of Western Sahara coast, phosphates and agricultural property from the Saharawi land it illegally occupies and lucrative fishing rights to Saharawi waters have now been finally and indubitably declared  illegal.

Morocco might rail against this at the UNGA decolonisation committee hearings that run this week.

An unprecedented 250 petitioners have been approved for these hearings, 150 of these to speak on Western Sahara

However the ruling of the European apex court is final.

The road to a settlement in Western Sahara once again runs along plans for a referendum of the country’s people on self determination.

Morocco agreed to such a plebiscite in 1991 when it sought to end the exhausting 11-year war with Polisario following the occupation.

Once the treaty was signed, it quickly reneged on this undertaking.  

Its  proposal to maintain overall autonomy of the country with certain rights being granted to the Saharawi people has also been buried in the desert sand by the ECJ ruling that its actions are  “breaching the right of the people of Western Sahara to self determination.”

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Youssef Amrani.calls South Africa’s statement on the Western Sahara fanciful fabrications.

ends intro

In diplomatic practice, unequivocal  political attacks are done government to government after careful consideration.

Youssef Amrani, who has a reputation for getting hot under the collar and losing it , snapped back  a South African statement correcting earlier remarks he’d made about a United Nations Security Council meeting on Western Sahara.

The Moroccan envoy his host country’s position a fanciful fabrication amounts to him calling it a liar.

In customary Moroccan style of rewriting history, Amrani denies the South African assertion that Western Sahara is Africa last decolonization issue.

The fact is Western Sahara has been on the agenda of the UN decolonization committee since Morocco illegally invaded it 44 years ago.

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The victim is an 89-year-old woman who contracted COVID 19 in Italy.

At the same as confirming the death of the 89-year-old woman who had respiratory problems and heart disease, Moroccan authorities announced two new cases of COVID19. that brings to three the total in that Maghreb country.

Royal Air Maroc, the national carrier has suspended flights from Venice and Milan.

Italy is in lockdown with deaths from COVID 19 rising to 463.

The Moroccan woman’s death follows a COVID19-related death in Egypt of a German tourist who reportedly refused to go into isolation.

Nine African countries are treating cases of coronavirus.

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This follows the jailing this week of a social media commentator who’s remarks critical of Morocco society are deemed to have insulted King Mohammed VI.

In addition to four years in jail, You Tuber Mohamed Sekkai was fined R60 000.

He will appeal the sentence.

Journalist Omar Radi is in jail awaiting trial on charges of insulting a judge in a tweet he sent.

The king, who surrendered certain powers during the Arab Spring of 2011, has evidently kept a tight rein on critics.

A student was jailed for three years in 2017 for allegedly undermining the dignity of one of Africa’s two remaining absolute monarchs.

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He did not do this either Morocco or Egypt – two of his four previous African visit – that arguably have more deplorable human rights records than the Pope’s current hosts.

Amnesty International has asked the Pope to express concern about the prolonged detention of pretrial prisoners in Mozambique and the beating of journalists and human rights defenders.

It was Pope Benedict, the incumbent’s predecessor, who angered Egypt during his visit with the vehemence of his denunciation of attacks on Christians.

And in Morocco earlier this year, Pope Francis said nothing about that country’s protracted illegal occupation of the Western Sahara in defiance of the international community.

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The Moroccan government has refused to pay compensation to the victims family.

Dane Louisa Jesperson and Norwegian  Maren Ueland, who were studying to be tourist guides and had been assured of their safety in Morocco. They  were attacked while camping in the Kingdom’s  High Atlas mountains  last December.

Abdessamad Ejjoud and Younes Ouzayid beheaded the young woman while Rachid Afatt filmed the killing and posted it on social media.

The men, described in court  as bloodthirsty killers, mutilated the bodies in their efforts to become members of Islamic State.

Morocco last year introduced a moratorium on the death penalty.

If the killers of the Scandinavian women are executed, it will be the first since 1993.

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South Africa’s decision to accept a new ambassador  is carefully timed to coincide with its hosting an international conference in supporting an end to that occupation and self-determination  of the Saharawi people.

If, as expected, Rabat’s new envoy arrives in Pretoria shortly, his first job will be to report on the host government’s strong condemnation of Morocco’s theft of resources from Western Sahara and its defiance of the international community by persisting with its occupation.

Morocco is evidently prepared to swallow its pride in order to normalize relations with the primary African political player.

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Authorities say the man, who has not been named,  was recruiting and urging young extremists to attack tourists.

Moroccan security forces have broken up no fewer that 20 terror cells in the past year.

The extent of the jihadi threat was tragically underlined by the beheading this month of Norwegian Maren Ueland and Dane Louisa Jespersen who were hiking in the High Atlas Mountains.

The four men being held for the killing  pledged allegiance to so-called Islamic State. 

Moroccan authorities insist, however, they were lone wolves.

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They’ve arrested 13 people in connection with the what the Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen calls a particularly bestial killing.

Danish and Norwegian authorities are still examining the video posted on social  media showing the beheading of 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland and 24-year-old Dane Louisa Jespersen.

Their bodies were found in their tent in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains where they were hiking.

The social media posting claims the beheadings are revenge for Western anti-terror operations in Syria.

Of the four murder suspects being held, one has served a two-year-sentence for extremist related crimes.

All four have been shown on social media pledging allegiance to so called Islamic State.

A candlelit vigil was held in Rabat at the weekend by Moroccans apologizing for the killings.

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The kingdom’s central bureau for judicial investigation says they’ve encountered at least eight terror cells this year.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen condemns what he calls the unusually bestial killing of his compatriot Louisa Jespersen and Norwegian Maren Ueland.

They were found in their tent in the high Atlas Mountains popular with trekkers, climbers and hikers.

Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg echoes his outrage.

Four arrests have been made by Moroccan police who found a video of the suspected murderer pledging his allegiance to so-called IS.

This has been worst terror attack in the kingdom since the 2011 killing of 17 people in a Marrakesh restaurant.

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