The Polisario to lodge complaint against Morocco at African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights

The Polisario Front has threatened to lodge a complaint at the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights to denounce the «crimes» committed by Morocco in Western Sahara, Polisario member Khatri Adouh said.

Adouh said that the Polisario «is taking various measures, within the African Union, to counter Morocco’s violation of the Union’s founding charter, which consists of respecting borders existing on achievement of independence and avoiding the use of force among member states of the Union».

Only 29 countries of the African Union, in addition to the Polisario, have ratified the protocol for the creation of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. Only six countries have published the declaration recognizing the competence of the Court to receive complaints from NGOs and individuals, namely Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Malawi and Tunisia.

Ironically, neither Algeria nor South Africa, the Polisario's main allies in Africa, have recognized the jurisdiction of the African Court of Human and Peoples' Rights.