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Manifesto

We, journalists, scholars, and civil society activists members of the Autonomy for the Sahara Coalition (AUSACO):
1.    Reaffirm the irreversible Moroccanity of the Sahara, an integral part of the national territory of the Kingdom of Morocco;
2.    Condemn the actions led by Algeria since 1975 to harm the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco, in violation of the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the Declaration on the Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States, endorsed by UN General Assembly resolution 2625;
3.    Welcome the atmosphere of calm, liberty, and democracy that prevails in the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom of Morocco, within the framework of the Constitution of 2011;
4.    Welcome the development endeavours led in the Moroccan Sahara, which are intended to make the region Morocco’s gateway to Africa and a West African economic hub;
5.    Recall in this respect the ambition and the vision of the New Model for the Development of the Southern Provinces launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in Laayoune, in November 2015;
6.    Affirm our full support to the Initiative for the Negotiation of an Autonomy Status for the Moroccan Sahara Region as the only and unique solution to the regional dispute on the Moroccan Sahara;
7.    Reiterate in this respect that the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative is the only solution that could guarantee the exercise of the right to self-determination of the population of the Moroccan Sahara;
8.    Call upon Algeria to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law and to bring to an end the situation of lawlessness that prevails in the Tindouf camps due to the illegal devolution of authority over the camps to “polisario”, a situation that makes possible the worst human rights violations on this part of Algerian territory;
9.    Call upon Algeria to assume its historical responsibility in the genesis, the evolution, and the persistence of the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, through engaging, in a spirit of realism and compromise, in the roundtable process, throughout its duration to ensure a successful outcome;
10.    Call upon the entire International Community, represented by the Security Council, to support the search for a realistic, practicable, and enduring political solution that rests on compromise on the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara within the framework of the exclusively UN-led roundtable process;
11.    Commit to defend the Moroccanity of the Sahara and the preeminence of the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative within universities, media, and civil society in our respective countries.