Bir Lehlou, 19 September 2026 (SPS) – President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Secretary-General of the Frente POLISARIO, Brahim Ghali, called on the United Nations and the international community to assume their responsibilities towards the Sahrawi people and take effective steps to advance the decolonization of Western Sahara and enable the Sahrawi people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence.
In a letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General on 7 September 2026 and subsequently circulated as a Security Council document at the request of South Africa, President Ghali stressed that the continued Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, which remains on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, constitutes a fundamental obstacle to the exercise of the Sahrawi people's legitimate rights.
He warned that the absence of a resolute international response to Morocco's continued obstruction of the UN-led peace process risks perpetuating instability, with serious implications for regional and international peace and security, calling for the use of all available diplomatic means to end the longstanding injustice and expedite the decolonization of Western Sahara.
President Ghali reaffirmed the Frente POLISARIO's commitment to cooperating with the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy within the UN-led peace process, recalling its participation in the three informal ministerial meetings held in January and February 2026 and its submission of proposals aimed at supporting a final, mutually acceptable solution.
He underlined that any solution must guarantee the Sahrawi people's inalienable, non-negotiable and non-delegable right to self-determination and independence through a free, transparent and democratic process, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions, while rejecting attempts to legitimize the occupation or undermine the legitimate national aspirations of the Sahrawi people.
The Sahrawi President also drew attention to the serious human rights situation in the Occupied Sahrawi Territories, citing documented patterns of arbitrary detention, physical violence, intimidation, surveillance and restrictions against Sahrawi human rights defenders, journalists and activists. He particularly highlighted the situation of Sahrawi political prisoners, including the Gdeim Izik group, who continue to face harsh prison conditions, inadequate medical care, isolation and restrictions on family and external communication.
He renewed his appeal for the prompt and unconditional release of all Sahrawi political prisoners and their return to their homeland and reunification with their families, while also calling for independent international scrutiny of the human rights situation in the Territory. In this regard, he recalled that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has been denied access to Occupied Western Sahara since 2015.
President Ghali further denounced policies affecting the Territory's demographic composition, including the eviction of Sahrawis from their ancestral lands, as well as the use of military weaponry, including uncrewed aerial vehicles, which he said has resulted in civilian casualties. He also condemned the continued exploitation of Sahrawi natural resources and called on the UN to inform the international community and relevant UN organs about unlawful economic activities in the Territory.
The President recalled the special responsibility of the United Nations towards the people of Western Sahara as a Territory awaiting decolonization, urging the Organization to fully operationalize its responsibilities towards the Sahrawi people, particularly civilians in the Occupied Territories, until they are able to freely exercise their right to self-determination and independence.
Concluding his letter, President Ghali reaffirmed the Frente POLISARIO's readiness to engage in direct and good-faith negotiations with the Kingdom of Morocco under UN auspices, with the aim of achieving a just, peaceful, lasting and final solution based on the self-determination of the Sahrawi people and contributing to the restoration of regional peace and security.
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