Topic: Sovereignty for Ethnic Enclaves
Committee: Special Political and Decolonization
Country: Niger
Name: Daniel Kurz
The Republic of Niger knows what it is like to be poor, and to have a separation of
people. We do not see the need though for separation from the nation to an independent nation
unless under the most dire circumstances. Our separation from France was catalyzed by the fact
that they had taken over control of us without reason, and we were entitled to independence. In
the case of the Basques, Chechnya, and Kurdistan we have conflicting views. In one of these
cases we see good reason for reunification, and in the other cases we feel that separation is the
best path to peace. We see that we must look at all these cases together in this committee to find
a solution that will support all aspects.
For the Basques in Spain we see the primary issue to be that there is a lack of
representation within their region. We would propose that rather than separation of this group of
people from the government that we work to pressure Spain to give them increased
representation. We would call on the European Union and allies of Spain to help them in any
way possible as well as pressure the government into giving them the representation that the
people desire. We don’t see that the people should separate away because that leads to political
strife, possible war, and possible refugee problems. Avoiding these problems leads us to believe
that reunification is a better option.
In Chechnya we see it is clear that there should be separation of the people from the
government to create their own independent nation. The political instability, ethnic issues, and
history of the nation lead us to believe that like other former Russian bloc nations that this is a
region that should be given their sovereignty. We call on Russia to heed the warning that we give
and to not support violence in holding this region or letting them split. We call on the nations
that are allied and also in the Security Council to impress upon the Russian government how
dangerous a situation this is. The country of Niger believes that these people need to be given
their independence but only through nonviolent acts.
The Kurds are like the people of Chechnya in they require their sovereignty over all else.
We recommend that these people be given their freedom because of the dangerous past that this
issue brings up. The nation of Niger condemns Iraq for their attacks on the Kurds and all other
nations who have brought violence against this group of people. The Republic of Niger calls for
their immediate sovereignty and reparations for the people of region. To do this Niger calls on
the Arab nations, allies of Iraq, and on the Security Council. We impress on all these nations how
worrisome this issue is, and how dangerous it could become if peace is not reached soon. For this
region the Security Council needs to take action in finding a peaceful solution by working with
Special Political and Decolonization committee to find a peaceful solution.
The Republic of Niger wishes to avoid violence wherever possible and we see that if
peace a solution is not reached that this will not be so. Therefore, we wish to grant sovereignty to
some groups, but to others we wish to hold them back and strive for reunification. Niger believes
that by working together these goals can be reached.