Brahim Ghali, head of the Polisario Front, attends the 50th anniversary of the Polisario Front in the Aoussered camp, Algeria, May 20, 2023 -

Last updated: 55 minutes ago

Morocco

The Polisario Front, Western Sahara's independence movement, celebrated the 50th anniversary Wednesday of the proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

To mark the occasion, the movement held a military parade in a refugee camp near Tindouf in Algeria, as most of Western Sahara remains under the control of Morocco.

"God willing, the next anniversary of the proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic will be held on our land," said Sahrawi housewife Mettou Ouadat Abed Elmo.

The Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic on 27 February 1976. Today, fewer than 50 United Nations member states currently recognise the SADR and the UN classifies Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory.

In a speech on Wednesday, Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali reaffirmed the movement’s fight for self-determination.

"The Sahrawi people have an unalienable right to self-determination and to choose their future," he said. "Independence is the only path to a just and durable peace."

This 50th anniversary comes as Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara is receiving more and more support.

In November, the UN Security Council approved a resolution that formally endorsed Morocco's 2007 Autonomy Proposal as "the sole foundation for a fair and lasting resolution"of the decades-old conflict over Western Sahara's sovereignty.

The move represented a departure from the UN's traditional emphasis on a "mutually acceptable" political solution achieved through direct negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front.

Algeria, the Polisario's main backer, abstained from the vote, with its ambassador stating the text "does not accurately reflect [...] the UN's stance on decolonization."

About 120 countries now back Marocco's proposal, including the United States, Spain, France and most recently the Netherlands.

Polisario Front Celebrates 50 Years of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

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