Vitry-sur-Seine (France), 8 November 2026 (SPS) – The Polisario Front Representative in France, Mr. Mohamed Ali Zerouali, stressed that achieving a just and lasting peace in Western Sahara requires respect for the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination and independence.
Speaking at the Third International Peace Conference, held on 6–7 November at the initiative of Vitry-sur-Seine Municipality, Mr. Zerouali reaffirmed that the Western Sahara question remains a decolonisation issue on the United Nations agenda.
In his address, entitled “Western Sahara: Peoples' Right to Self-Determination as an Essential Condition for Just and Lasting Peace,” he highlighted the consequences of the conflict since Spain's withdrawal in 1975, including occupation, displacement, family separation, human rights violations and the exploitation of the territory's natural resources.
He also expressed concern over recent developments within the UN Security Council regarding Western Sahara and the future of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), stressing that these developments must not undermine the Sahrawi people's right to freely determine their future.
Recalling the 1991 Settlement Plan, which provided for a self-determination referendum that has yet to be held, he reaffirmed the Polisario Front's readiness to cooperate with the United Nations towards a peaceful and lasting solution based on international legitimacy. He also recalled the expanded proposal submitted by the Front to the UN Secretary-General on 20 October 2025.
Mr. Zerouali called on France, as a permanent member of the Security Council, to assume its responsibilities in support of international law and the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination. He also urged elected officials, associations and solidarity organisations to continue advocating for Sahrawi rights.
He expressed appreciation for the solidarity of Vitry-sur-Seine Municipality, its mayor Pierre Bell-Lloch and local elected representatives, particularly the municipality's initiative to host Sahrawi children during summer holidays.
The conference brought together participants to discuss peace, international solidarity, the right of peoples to self-determination and Europe's role in a changing international order.
Concluding his address, Mr. Zerouali stressed that lasting peace cannot be achieved without justice, reaffirming that the Sahrawi people seek neither charity nor decisions made on their behalf, but the right to freely and democratically determine their own future.
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