In Algiers, South African forum reiterates Polisario’s rejection of autonomy
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Yabiladi
South Africa’s embassy in Algiers held a forum on 4 November at which the Polisario Front reaffirmed its rejection of Morocco’s autonomy proposal for the Sahara. The movement is calling for negotiations guaranteeing self-determination, according to Yabiladi.
The South African embassy in Algiers organised the eighth edition of its Diplomatic Forum of Solidarity with the Sahrawi People on Wednesday 4 November, during which Mohamed Yeslam Beissat, the Polisario Front’s foreign affairs chief, reaffirmed opposition to Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara, according to Yabiladi. He described the proposal as “colonial” and argued for negotiations guaranteeing the self-determination of the Sahrawi people.
Polisario representatives attending the meeting, including Bachir Mustapha Sayed, president of the Sahrawi Parliament, and Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, Brahim Ghali’s diplomatic adviser, backed this position, according to Yabiladi. The South African ambassador to Algiers had visited the Tindouf camps the day before the 30 October Security Council meeting, where he met Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali.
The forum came a few days after the MINURSO mandate in the Sahara ended on 31 October, and after the United Kingdom, Bahrain and Liberia expressed support for Moroccan autonomy. Romania also reaffirmed this position on 4 November in connection with the Sahara conflict, according to headlines published by the media outlet.
