53rd Anniversary of the Polisario Front: Sahrawi People Reaffirm Commitment to Self-Determination
By Dr. Hana Saada
The Sahrawi people commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the founding of the Polisario Front, on 10 May 1973.
Fifty-three years later, the Sahrawi people remain mobilised behind their sole legitimate representative and continue their struggle to obtain the right to self-determination and independence. After 29 years of calm following an agreement concluded under the auspices of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity in September 1991, they resumed armed resistance after the violation of the ceasefire agreement by Morocco in November 2020 at the illegal crossing point of Guerguerat in the buffer zone.
This year’s commemoration takes place in a different international context, marked by attempts to undermine legitimate rights. The Sahrawi people face these challenges with awareness and responsibility, continuing their struggle to resist Moroccan occupation practices and defend their inalienable right to independence.
The Sahrawi people reaffirm, on each occasion, their determination to continue the struggle on the ground to achieve full sovereignty over the territory of the Sahrawi Republic and to counter schemes and policies aimed at undermining national unity. The call for unity in the face of occupation was reiterated during the 16th Congress of the Polisario Front under the slogan: “Intensify the struggle to expel the occupation and achieve full sovereignty.”
The Polisario Front reaffirmed its refusal to engage in any political process that does not respect the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, in accordance with UN resolutions and international law.
The movement, supported by the Sahrawi people, has thwarted multiple plans and obstacles aimed at perpetuating occupation and undermining aspirations for independence.
As part of its efforts, the Polisario Front has called on the international community to compel Morocco to respect internationally recognised borders, end illegal occupation, and uphold the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and independence, considered essential for a just and lasting peace in north-west Africa.
It has also repeatedly called for international intervention, including by the United Nations, to pressure Morocco to ensure freedom and end ill-treatment of Sahrawi prisoners in Moroccan prisons, particularly in light of detention conditions.
Over 53 years of struggle, the Polisario Front has achieved political and diplomatic progress, including the consolidation of the Sahrawi Republic’s membership in the African Union as a founding member, and legal advances before the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the protection of Sahrawi rights and resources.
The strength and determination of the Sahrawi people to resist occupation has drawn broad international solidarity. Human rights activists from Africa, Europe and Latin America support the right to self-determination and condemn Moroccan repression.
The event is also an occasion to reaffirm the commitment of Sahrawi populations, in refugee camps, the diaspora and occupied territories, to the Polisario Front as the sole legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, and to national unity as a strategic choice.
— 𝐄𝐍𝐃 —
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