The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
Dear Mr. President:
We are appealing to you to bring an end to the illegal occupation of Africa’s last colony, Western Sahara. While we represent many diverse political views, we are all appalled at the fact that Morocco has been allowed to occupy Western Sahara for over 40 years despite the fact that all previous United States administrations as well as the United Nations and the majority of nations have agreed that the people of Western Sahara should be entitled to determine the future of their country.
When you ran for President, you spoke often about the “forgotten men and women” and highlighted how corruption in government can lead to much suffering and unfairness.
The situation in Western Sahara is a stark illustration of exactly the sentiments you expressed during your campaign for President. Utilizing its vast wealth and resources, the Kingdom of Morocco has successfully obstructed the long promised referendum on self-determination first promised to the Sahrawi (the people of Western Sahara) by the United Nations in 1991.
Morocco invaded Western Sahara in 1975, and in 1991, after a 16 year war with the Sahrawi ended in a stalemate, the Kingdom of Morocco finally agreed to allow the Sahrawi to determine their future through a United Nations organized referendum. However, by pouring millions of dollars each year into lobbying efforts the Kingdom of Morocco has managed to block the successful implementation of this referendum.
We have this specific request of you: that you ensure the referendum of Western Sahara will be held in 2018 – and if that fails, that you call for Morocco to end their brutal and illegal occupation of Western Sahara.
Furthermore, we request that any international aid from the United States of America, which has provided generously to the Kingdom of Morocco, be withheld from the Kingdom of Morocco until 1) all Sahrawi political prisoners are released from their unlawful detention; and, 2) the Kingdom ends its repeated and ongoing attempts to exploit the natural resources of Western Sahara.
We thank you for considering our petition and look forward to your response.