Polisario Condemns Red Cross Visit to Western Sahara, Calls It "Illegal"

In a letter addressed to Péter Maurer, president of the ICRC, Oubi Bouchraya Bachir denounced this visit, which he described as "unacceptable" and "illegal", as it was carried out "without prior coordination with the Polisario Front and without taking into account the legal status of Western Sahara".

"It is surprising to see an institution the size of the International Red Cross working in the field with only one party to the conflict, the occupying power, without informing the other party," he added, demanding "explanations" from the head of the ICRC.

This is not the first time that an international organization has visited the Sahara without going through the Polisario. In 2018, Human Rights Watch (HRW) had made a trip to the region without the independence movement, despite the latter’s attempts to convince the international organization.