"It is equally important to stress that as Sahrawis, democratically elected by direct universal suffrage, fully and proudly assuming our Moroccanness, we maintain that no solution that is not resolutely and irreversibly within the framework of Morocco's sovereignty and territorial integrity can be admissible," said the presidents of the two regions of Moroccan Sahara in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Ould Errachid and El Khattat denied the armed group, the "polisario", the right and legitimacy to represent the Sahrawis as it unduly claims, and even less that of representing the population living in the Moroccan Sahara. "This is all the more obvious as this armed separatist group is more than ever decried, especially in the Tindouf camps, where a dissident movement has just publicly declared that it is time to put an end to the myth of the "polisario" as the only legitimate representative of the Sahrawis," they added.

They noted that their initiative to approach the UN SG stemmed from their full knowledge of the real situation in their constituencies. That knowledge, they added, was acquired through the exercise of our responsibilities on the ground and is coupled with the legitimacy and representativeness conferred on us by the ballot box following a transparent and democratic electoral process.

They recalled their "active" participation as presidents of the two regions of Moroccan Sahara and members of the Moroccan delegation to the two round-table meetings held in Geneva on December 5 and 6, 2018 and March 21 and 22, 2019, under the aegis of the former Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara, Horst Kohler.

Presidents of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra and Dakhla Oued Eddahab regions also strongly condemn the outrage and the serious, massive and continuous violations inflicted on the dignity and rights of the persons held against their will in the Tindouf camps.

They underlined that the Human Rights Committee had denounced, in July 2018, this illegal devolution by which Algeria has been shirking its responsibilities for more than four decades.

In contrast to the disastrous situation in the Tindouf camps, the two officials stressed that the rights of the local population in the Moroccan Sahara enjoy effective protection and promotion, based on constitutional guarantees and a national legal and institutional framework in line with Morocco's international commitments.

According to the presidents of the two regions, these achievements, as well as the development and cooperation agreements concluded with various major international actors, in full compliance with international law, refute the allegations concerning the exploitation of the natural resources of the Moroccan Sahara.

Ouled Errachid and Yanja also praised Morocco's sound management of the health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which constitutes a serious challenge for all countries of the world, noting that the Kingdom has been able to implement an adequate response, which has been widely lauded and recognized both nationally and internationally.

Through this letter, the presidents of the two regions said they wanted to remove any ambiguity about the outrageous fabrications that are conveyed about the situation in the Moroccan Sahara, through an unscrupulous propaganda enterprise by which the other parties are trying to disguise the reality.