61 territories under colonial rule globally, SIRA says 

Calls for independence of Western Sahara 

The diplomatic community has linked peace and stability in the world to the decolonisation of territories still under colonial rule. According to the Society for International Relations Awareness (SIRA), there are about 61 colonies that are still under colonial rule, saying that unless there are fewer territories under colonial rule, there would be no peace in the world, considering that there would be one agitation or the other for self-rule.

The SIRA President, Owei Lakemfa, while speaking at a two-day International Conference to End Colonialism in the World, themed: ‘The Forgotten Peoples: International Conference to Decolonise the World,’ held in Abuja yesterday, raised concern over the slow pace of United Nations (UN) in granting independence to about 17 territories under its control.

Lakemfa said: “We feel that the UN has not been fast enough, even though it promised to decolonise countries since 1960.

So, we decided to bring people in the colonies, as well as the colonial masters, together to agree on a possible time frame or action plan.

“With about 61 non-self-governing territories in the world, and there are about 17 to 18 by the UN, we want to see how many of them can be decolonised within the next four to six years.”

Lakemfa highlighted the long-standing occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco, drawing parallels between individual and national enslavement. He explained that the issue has deep roots, dating back to Spain’s controversial decision to hand over Western Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania during decolonisation.

He added: “While Mauritania eventually withdrew, Morocco maintained its grip on the territory, leaving the Sahrawi people scattered across occupied lands and refugee camps in Algeria.”

Lakemfa lamented that recent diplomatic missteps, including a visit by Nigeria’s Ministry of Green Energy to Morocco without recognising Western Sahara’s sovereignty, have raised eyebrows.