Polisario Leader Slams Spain’s Shift on Western Sahara Autonomy Plan

"They abandon us to our fate, as they did in 1975," denounced Brahim Ghali, in reaction to Spain’s change of position on the Sahara which, according to him, constitutes a "betrayal" and violates the UN resolutions that advocate a self-determination referendum. In an interview with El Mundo, the Sahrawi leader admits that he does not understand this "radical turnaround" of the Spanish government on the Sahara.

Last April, Ghali was admitted to a hospital in Logroño under a false identity, causing a serious crisis between Spain and Morocco, which ultimately led to the dismissal of the then Foreign Minister, Arancha González Laya, who was replaced by José Manuel Albares. At the time, Spain was still defending a self-determination referendum within the framework of the UN.

To read: Polisario Leader Accuses Spain of Abandoning Sahrawi People Over Western Sahara

For Ghali, this change in Spain’s position, which remains, in terms of international law, the "administering power of Western Sahara", is a "capitulation" worse than that of 1975. "The Sahrawi people have resisted and will continue to resist until they impose their legitimate rights to self-determination and independence," he affirmed.

The Sahrawi leader also specifies that the Polisario Front was "forced" to declare war on Morocco again in 2020 due to the kingdom’s breach of the ceasefire. He categorically denies being the president of an "autonomous community" of Morocco, rejecting the existence of a "Moroccan Sahara". "I am the president of an African Union state and recognized by more than 80 countries," he said, adding that the only possible solution to this conflict is the referendum.