Dakhla camp (Sahrawi Republic) 27 September 2024 (SPS) – The President of the Sahrawi Republic and Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, delivered a speech during the inauguration of the fifth ordinary session of the National Secretariat. In his address, he discussed the latest developments in the national cause on all fronts.
Below is the full text of the speech:
Speech by Mr. Brahim Ghali, President of the Republic and Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, at the opening of the Fifth Ordinary Session of the National Secretariat, September 26, 2024
In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.
Today we open the fifth ordinary session of the National Secretariat, amidst the welcoming presence of the people and authorities of the hospitable Wilya of Dakhla (Province), which has faced the aftermath of heavy rains and floods that caused severe damage. On this occasion, we express our gratitude and appreciation to all those who contributed and continues to contribute to alleviating the disaster's impact, including national authorities and institutions, particularly the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army, as well as the national mechanism and committees that were formed, and to the citizens of this Wilaya and other Wilayas, where youth played a prominent role, as well as to the supporters of the Sahrawi cause and international organizations working in the camps of dignity and pride.
In this context, we extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to our brotherly Algeria, the Algeria of glory and dignity, which responded with its generous and traditional solidarity. This is evidenced by the arrival of a delegation led by the President of the Algerian Red Crescent, carrying aid supplies, and by the prompt response of the civil and military authorities of Tindouf Province, who immediately provided convoys of support and assistance.
Brothers and sisters,
In its fifth session, the National Secretariat will evaluate national efforts on various fronts since the last (fourth) session, relying on the report presented by the Permanent Office of the Secretariat and additional briefings. Through discussion and analysis, we aim to define the key tasks for the next phase, always guided by the resolutions of the 16th Congress of the Front, particularly the National Action Program.
This session coincides with nearly four years since the resumption of armed struggle following Morocco's blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement on November 13, 2020. On this occasion, we extend our deepest respect and admiration to the fighters of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army, this valiant army that has forged an enduring legacy, adorned with heroic achievements and a proud history. Continuing along this steadfast path, loyal to the martyrs' promise, the past period witnessed the expansion and diversification of the combat efforts of our brave army, which inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, both human and material.
As we salute our people everywhere, who continue to write in golden letters new chapters of resistance and resilience, we also take note of the overall positive response to national programs, reflecting the strong engagement of our people in the struggle across all fronts, as well as the continued provision of basic services.
The Sahrawi cause remains present on the international stage, and the Moroccan occupying state has suffered a resounding failure in its attempts to undermine the status of the Sahrawi state within the African Union.
We reiterate our call for the African Union to enforce the principles and objectives of its founding charter, especially the respect for borders inherited upon independence. Once again, we warn our African brothers of the grave threat posed by the Moroccan occupying state and its exposed practices, as seen recently in Japan, to the unity, cohesion, and harmony of our continental organization.
The dangerous developments unfolding in the Sahel region require increased cooperation and coordination among neighboring countries, especially with our sisters Algeria and Mauritania, to collectively address the growing challenges. This urgency is heightened by Morocco's overt involvement, not only through expansionist and aggressive policies, drug trafficking, and support for organized crime and terrorist groups but also by facilitating foreign agendas that destabilize the entire region.
On this occasion, we reaffirm the responsibility of the UN Security Council and the United Nations as a whole to complete the decolonization process of the last colony in Africa. While we express our solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples in their struggle against the unjust Zionist aggression, we also affirm that there can be no peace or stability in the world without compliance with international legitimacy and the realization of peoples' legitimate right to self-determination.
In this context, we condemn the shameful positions adopted by certain parties in support of Morocco's colonial narrative. It is unacceptable, for example, that the President of France, the birthplace of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, openly violates the UN Charter by granting what he does not own to those who do not deserve it, and to join the Moroccan occupying state in publicly displaying their disregard for international law and humanitarian law in the headquarters of the international organization itself.
We take this opportunity to extend special greetings to all our brothers, allies, and friends around the world who support the Sahrawi people's struggle, with a special mention to our sisterly Algeria. We congratulate the Algerian people on the successful presidential elections, which resulted in the re-election of Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune for a second term as President of the country. We wish him all the success and progress in building the new Algeria in an atmosphere of prosperity and advancement.
As we greet the heroes and heroines of the Independence Intifada, particularly the lions of the Gdeim Izik glorious saga and their fellow civilian prisoners in Moroccan jails, along with their families, we also express our solidarity with our people in the occupied territories and southern Morocco in the face of the fierce and dangerous campaign led by the Moroccan occupying state. This campaign aims to uproot the Sahrawi presence, not only through its well-known practices, including direct attempts at genocide but also by dispossessing Sahrawis of their land, destroying their property, and continuing policies of displacement, settlement, and plunder of natural resources.
Brothers and sisters,
This session coincides with the start of the new social year and the launch of national programs and milestones. It is an opportunity to make significant progress in our struggle on all levels. As members of the National Secretariat, we are tasked with creating more avenues for communication with the grassroots and being at the forefront of implementing agreed-upon programs, providing the required leadership with responsibility, humility, and dedication. We are confident that our people will remain, as always, aware, ready, and engaged in the national struggle. They remain faithful to the martyrs' promise, honor the heroes, and reject those who falter, ever capable of confronting the enemy's conspiracies and vile plots.
On the martyrs' oath, we continue until achieving victory in our people's sacred existential battle through unity under the leadership of the Polisario Front, the vanguard of the struggle and the sole legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, to intensify the fight on all fronts — from the fighters of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army on the battlefields, to the Intifada of Independence in the occupied territories and southern Morocco, to the diplomatic, legal, media, and cultural fronts — until the inevitable triumph of our people's goals for freedom, dignity, and independence.
By the grace of God, we declare the fifth session of the National Secretariat open.
Escalate the fight to expel the occupation and complete sovereignty. (SPS)
TR- 090/500/60 (SPS)