Resolutions of the Global Pan African Movement on the Questions of Continued Colonial Projects in Africa and Israel’s Observer Status at the African Union

The Global Pan African Movement seeks to remind global Africa and the global community of the continued forms of colonialism and the need to stand in solidarity with all peoples that are struggling for their self-determination. British, French, Dutch, and American imperialism continues the outmoded concept of colonizing other people. In particular, French colonialism and the territorial incorporation of Guadeloupe, Cayenne, and Martinique in the Caribbean, of Réunion and Mayotte Islands in Africa, and all islands referred to as French Polynesia must be denounced. Indonesian occupation of West Papua, Israeli occupation of Palestine, and Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara must equally be denounced and opposed. Extending the words of the late Kwame Nkrumah, “our independence will be meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent,” and the liberation of oppressed peoples everywhere. Against this backdrop, the Global Pan African Movement puts forth the following resolutions:

Resolution 1: Supporting the peoples of Western Sahara (addressed to the AU and the world) 

• The Global Pan African Movement calls on the African Union (AU) to amplify the voices of the Saharawi people and demand Morocco end its efforts to take over their lands. The central purposes of the OAU, African Union’s predecessor, included the eradication of all forms of colonialism from Africa and the defense of independence. Therefore, the AU must not be complicit in Morocco’s continued colonial project. The Global Pan African Movement calls on proactive engagement from the AU to ensure the independence of Western Sahara. It further calls for the United Nations to carry forth the mandate to hold a referendum in Western Sahara. 

Resolution 2: Removal of Israel from observer status at the AU (addressed to the AU)

• The Global Pan African Movement demands that the African Union stand united in removing and rejecting Israel’s observer status in the AU. The status accorded to Israel not only misrepresents the desires of the African people, but it contradicts the core principles of the organization. Africa has long stood beside the Palestinian people and their struggle for self-determination, therefore, the AU must maintain transnational solidarity. The Global Pan African Movement supports those states and peoples that continue to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people against Israeli occupation and brutalization. 

Resolution 3: Support to Western Sahara (addressed to Representative Karen Bass) 

• As the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights, the Global Pan African Movement calls on Congresswoman Karen Bass to clarify the position of the United States on the independence of Western Sahara. On December 11, 2020, the previous U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. This was against the standing position of the United States for the last twenty years. The current Biden Administration is yet to retract or address the position taken by President Trump and his administration. The Global Pan African Movement calls on Congresswoman Bass, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, to take a clear stand against Morocco’s colonial expansion.