A group of African lawyers have vowed to take Morocco and Spain to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity and genocide over their treatment of the people of the Western Sahara. Former President of the West Africa Bar Association (WABA) Femi Falana made the announcement on Friday during the opening of a two-day international conference on the struggle of Saharawi women organized by Women Advancement for Economic and Leadership Empowerment in Africa (WAELE/ARCELFA) in collaboration with Nigerian Labor Congress(NLC) and the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU). He said the world court “has declared the occupation of Saharawi territory by Morocco illegal in 1975 and since then all genuine forces of freedom in the world have rallied around and declared solidarity for the people of Saharawi Republic.” He continued to say that “we are compiling the atrocities of Spain and Morocco in Western Sahara so that we can request the special prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to file appropriate charges before the court.” Meanwhile, President of NLC, Abdulwahed Omar has condemned the use of force against the independence of both Western Sahara and Palestine, saying the NLC “will continue to support African Union efforts in ensuring freedom of other African countries.” BM
