Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), February 15, 2026 (SPS) – In a strong address before the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, the Sahrawi Prime Minister reaffirmed Today that colonialism is not merely a chapter of the past, but a fully constituted crime against humanity. He called for the adoption of a clear position recognizing the criminal nature of colonialism as a systematic structure built on the deprivation of sovereignty, the plundering of resources, genocide, and the distortion of peoples’ historical memory.
Prime Minister Bouchraya Hamoudi Bayoun stressed in his statement that the moral and historical duty of African leaders requires moving beyond symbolic condemnation toward concrete measures that enshrine restorative justice. These include official recognition of the crimes committed, compensation for affected peoples, restitution of looted resources, and the safeguarding of the inalienable right to self-determination.
The full text of the statement follows:
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Your Excellency, Mr. President of the African Union, His Excellency João Lourenço, President of the sister Republic of Angola,
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government of Africa,
Your Excellency, Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union,
Honourable Ministers,
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Colonialism was never a passing episode that could be closed with silence or forgetfulness; it was, and continues to be, a structured system of domination, control, and exploitation, founded on the dispossession of sovereignty, the plundering of resources, genocide, and the denial of the dignity, identity, and future of the African human being. Moreover, it was sustained through the manipulation of narratives, the falsification of history, and the eradication of collective memory, something unacceptable to present and future generations. Africa was dehumanized and fragmented, leaving enduring traumas. Such acts constitute crimes against humanity, genocide, and deliberate war crimes.
Consequently, our moral and historical duty demands a clear and unequivocal recognition: colonialism is a fully constituted crime against humanity, whose destructive effects continue to impact our present and the future of our generations, as well as our past, perhaps even more gravely.
The legacy of colonialism persists in the stark economic inequalities, in conflicts and political instability, and in the social injustice affecting our peoples, including the people of the Sahrawi Republic, who continue their legitimate struggle for their inalienable right to self-determination in the face of an old and renewed colonialism whose tools, hostility, criminality, and persistence in violating all international norms, laws, and principles remain unchanged.
Today, we do not ask for charity or compassion, but for a historical, legal, and ethical right: the collective recognition of colonialism as a crime against humanity and genocide against African peoples.
However, such recognition cannot be merely symbolic. True justice requires concrete measures of reparation, whereby former colonial powers fully assume their responsibilities, without denial or evasion, through compensation for damages, the restoration of historical memory, and the disclosure of the truth regarding the crimes committed.
Reparations are not charity, but an ethical and legal obligation that must include the restitution of looted resources, the repair of economic and social damages, support for reconstruction and development in accordance with African priorities, as well as official recognition and apology for all crimes perpetrated.
Excellencies,
Through this intervention, the Sahrawi Republic does not seek to reopen wounds, but to contribute to their healing, based on the conviction that this struggle is a collective responsibility of the entire African continent. Only through solidarity can denial be broken, the delay of justice ended, and the dignity of African peoples preserved. The time has come for truth, accountability, and reparations.
Finally, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, as African leadership, we must courageously and responsibly assume the obligation to ensure respect for our continent’s will to put an end to this crime.
Thank you very much.” (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
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