Question of Southern Rhodesia

XXIV. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
2508. Question of Southern Rhodesia

The General Assembly, Having considered the question of Southern Rhodesia, Having heard the statement of the petitioner,[1] Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Recalling further all previous resolutions concerning the question of Southern Rhodesia adopted by the General Assembly and by the Special Committee of the Situation with regard to the Implementation the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Bearing in mind the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, and particularly its resolutions 23 (1966) of 16 December 1966 and 253 (1968) of 2 May 1968, in which the Council determined that the situation constituted a threat to international peace and security, Deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Southern Rhodesia resulting from the introduction by the illegal racist minority régime of new measure aimed at entrenching itself as well as repressing the African people in violation of resolution 1514 (XV) and about the continued presence of South Africa forces in the Territory, Deeply concerned also about the persistent threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighbouring African States resulting from the existing situation in Southern Rhodesia and the presence of South Africa forces in the Territory, Bearing in mind that the Government of the Unite Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a the administering Power, has the primary responsibility for putting an end to the illegal racist minority régime in Southern Rhodesia and transferring effective power to the people of Zimbabwe on the basis of majority rule,

1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people Zimbabwe to freedom and independence and the legitimacy of their struggle to attain that right in conformity with the provisions of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);

2. Declares illegal all measures taken by the racist minority régime to deprive the people of Zimbabwe of their legitimate rights and to entrench its policies of apartheid in Southern Rhodesia;

3. Condemns the failure and refusal of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain an( Northern Ireland, as the administering Power, to take effective measures to bring down the illegal racist minority régime in Southern Rhodesia and to transfer power to the people of Zimbabwe on the basis of majority rule in accordance with all the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

4. Condemns the intervention of South African armed forces in Southern Rhodesia, which constitutes an act of aggression against the people and territorial integrity of Zimbabwe, and calls upon the United Kingdom, as the administering Power, to ensure the immediate expulsion of all South African forces from Southern Rhodesia;

5. Condemns the policies of the Governments of South Africa and Portugal and other Governments which continue to have political, economic, military and other relations with the illegal racist minority régime in Southern Rhodesia in contravention of the relevant United Nations resolutions, thereby violating their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations;

6. Condemns the policies of those States which make it possible for their nationals to emigrate to Southern Rhodesia in violation of Security Council resolution 253 (1968);

7. Calls upon the Government of the United Kingdom, in fulfilment of its responsibility as the administering Power, to take effective measures, including the use of force, to put an immediate end to the illegal racist minority régime in Southern Rhodesia and to transfer all powers to the people of Zimbabwe on the basis of majority rule;

8. Calls upon the administering Power to ensure the immediate release of the African nationalists who are in detention and to prevent further assassination and imprisonment of African nationalists in Southern Rhodesia;

9. Calls upon all States which continue to maintain political, economic, military and other relations with the illegal racist minority régime in Southern Rhodesia to bring them to an immediate end;

10. Calls upon all States, specialized agencies and other international organizations concerned to extend all moral and material assistance to the national liberation movements of Zimbabwe, in co-operation with the Organization of African Unity;

11. Calls upon the Government of the United Kingdom, in view of the armed conflict in the Territory and the inhuman treatment of prisoners, to ensure the application to that situation of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War[2] and of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War[3]3, both dated 12 August 1949;

12. Draws the attention of the Security Council to the gravity of the situation arising from the intensification of suppressive activities against the people of Zimbabwe and from armed attacks perpetrated against neighbouring States in violation of international peace and security;

13. Reaffirms its conviction that the sanctions will not put an end to the illegal racist minority régime in Southern Rhodesia unless they are comprehensive, mandatory, effectively supervised, enforced and complied with, particularly by South Africa and Portugal;

14. Further draws the attention of the Security Council to the urgent necessity of applying the following measures envisaged under Chapter VII of the Charter:

(a) The scope of the sanctions against the illegal racist minority régime should be widened to include all the measures laid down in Article 41 of the Charter;

(b) Sanctions should be imposed on South Africa and Portugal, the Governments of which have blatantly refused to carry out the mandatory decisions of the Security Council;

15. Requests the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to keep the situation in the Territory under review;

16. Calls upon the administering Power to report to the Special Committee on its action in the implementation of the present resolution.

1816th plenary meeting,
21 November 1969.

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[1] Ibid., Twenty-fourth Session, Fourth Committee, 1822nd meeting. [2] United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75 (1950), No. 972. [3] United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75 (1950), No. 973.