Beñat Hach Embarek Irizar lives in Euskal Herria, but has always been linked to the reality of the Sahara. The Hach Embarek is of Saharawi and Basque origin: his father, Salem Hach Embarek, diplomat of the Democratic Saharawi Arab Republic and member of the representation of the Saharawi people in the Basque Country; his mother, Gurutze Irizar, nurse and cooperator Fatimetu. As the conflict is close, we have asked Hach Embark about the decision of the Spanish Government on Western Sahara.

You have denounced that the decision of the Spanish Government President, Pedro Sánchez, is illegal. The Polisario Front lawyer has pointed out that the International Criminal Court (ICC) can prosecute him for complicity with war crimes, as he defends the occupation of Saharawi lands by the armed forces. What are the consequences of breaches of international law?

If the legal services of the Polisario Front have assessed that there is a way out there and that something can be achieved, that they deal with it. But with the world record, I don't think of any special hope, because those who have committed these war crimes have never been prosecuted. It was an attempt to genocide against the Sahrawi people: they massively bombed civilians with napalm and white phosphorus and killed thousands of people, but they have never had a trial. International law has been violated every day and has not been affected by it. However, at least one political argument arises from the opening of this path.

The attitude of the Spanish Government has surprised almost everyone. Why so much surprise? What course did you expect to take?

I'm not going to say that I was expecting or waiting for such news, but surprisingly, I'm hardly surprised by the PSOE. The Government of Spain has turned its back on Western Sahara over the past decades and has collaborated with Morocco at different levels, especially with the governments of the PSOE. What strikes me, however, and the experts say, is that this decision has been taken from a state point of view. In other words, it is difficult to understand why it has been decided to act against Western Sahara, because as long as the Sahara is under Moroccan control, France is going to get a greater part of the cake. It may make sense from the point of view of some economic elite or party interests, but not from the state point of view. We shall see how far they arrive; the Algerian Government has already shown its anger and announced a package of measures that could be carried out.

Mohammed VI. The letter sent to the king of Morocco said that the autonomy proposed by Morocco in 2007 “is the most serious, credible and realistic basis for the resolution of the conflict.” Is it going to help solve the conflict in reality?

On the contrary, it will contribute to the complication of the conflict. Let us remember the difference between Morocco and Algeria: Morocco achieved independence in 1954 without a special scandal, while Algeria suffered an eight-year war in which more than one million Algerians died. Why was the independence of one so conflicting and the independence of the other not? Because Algeria is truly independent and Morocco is not. Therefore, behind Spain’s decision there have probably been many movements from France, which have pushed the government to do so, in addition to Moroccan influence. Here we get into great geopolitical reasons.

What other consequences can it have?

Leave Elkarrekin We can in a very bad place. They have so far defended the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, but they have failed to bring the issue to the forefront. Let's see what We can do in the coming days and weeks, because it's not an agile subject. This is an absolutely central issue in the field of external relations, and Spain has a great responsibility. However, Spain has taken a decision against most countries of the world and international law, in the direction Trump did. This is very serious, given its responsibilities as a former colonizing power. It is Spain’s responsibility to give free rein to international law: the Saharawi people are sovereign and have the right to decide their future, and it is Spain’s responsibility to give them a basis, but they are doing just the opposite.

What information do they receive from Western Sahara? What situation do they live in?

The situation in the occupied areas is, as always, bad and there is a great deal of repression against the Sahrawi people. The most appropriate information is provided by the Equipe Media medium. On the other hand, the war continues on the side of the wall, and Morocco has a strategy for not recognizing the war and somehow concealing the true level of the situation. However, the Polisario Front has underlined that this decision will not affect the fight that the Sahrawi people have in the Caribbean country. In addition, this has been a movement and a movement generates others: for example, Algeria and China have launched a joint declaration to protect the right of self-determination of Western Sahara. Things are moving, and we will see what influence it has in Spain.

In Hego Euskal Herria, various concentrations have been convened to condemn the occupation of the Sahara and to denounce the decision of the Government of Spain. What steps will you take now? What do you anticipate?

I do not know to what extent the issue will be able to mobilise at the moment. But to the extent that it is a political issue, the Spanish Government and especially the PSOE must be directly challenged politically, because it has been a historic betrayal. In Euskal Herria there is a very significant sensitivity to this issue, I think many people have been hurt. But the government has taken a decision in a context in which everything that is Ukraine is at the centre, and it seems that they want this to happen on the one hand; we have to try not to do so. We have to challenge the government and have the people who have supported the PSOE really reconsider who they have supported. In addition, as already mentioned, we also have to question Podemos. See what they are going to do now from their position of power. Although the decision seems to have been taken by the PSOE, We can have a great responsibility, since they share the government and the decision has been taken by the Spanish Government.

To what extent does the conflict between Morocco and Western Sahara affect Basque citizenship?

It affects us in a broad sense. The Basques see it as a very distant conflict, and we do not imagine how much it affects us, but the economic agreements with Morocco have a great influence here. The expolio of the Sahrawi people is noteworthy. A lot of companies, multinationals all over the world, are exploiting a country in the process of decolonization, and that is illegal. To give a couple of examples: on the one hand, in the agricultural sector more and more things are being done in Morocco and then moved here, with the impact that this has here; on the other hand, in the industry, Siemens Gamesa, for example, in Navarre has closed some plants in recent years and has moved its production to Morocco, that is, it has businesses in occupied areas, wind farms, etc.

In Euskal Herria, the solidarity of the Sahara is linked to the sending of food and the reception of children. These two are there and they must be maintained, but the solution to a political problem is political, and now it is up to those who have supported this decision to question and point the finger.