Algiers, 27 November 2024 (SPS) - The 48th European Conference for Support and Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO) will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from November 28 to 30, 2024. This conference aims to provide a new platform to advocate for the legitimate rights of the Sahrawi people, which have been violated for nearly 50 years, and to denounce the injustices they face.
This annual conference has been organized since 1975 in various European cities (including Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Brussels, and Madrid) and it is considered the most significant event within the international solidarity movement for the Sahrawi people. Participants from around the world have chosen Portugal this year due to its revolutionary history marked by struggles against dictatorship and colonialism.
According to the organizers, the choice of Portugal coincides with the 50th anniversary of the "Carnation Revolution" on April 25, 1974, which ended dictatorship in the country and marked the beginning of Portuguese decolonization in Africa, particularly in Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor.
This year's conference will be held under the theme: "Europe and Africa, Two Continents United to Defend the Self-Determination and Independence of Western Sahara, the Last Colony of Africa."
Participants, including parliamentarians, academics, journalists, experts, and civil society representatives, will discuss mechanisms to enhance support for the Sahrawi people's legitimate struggle against Moroccan occupation, enabling them to exercise their right to self-determination and independence.
The participants will also explore ways to improve coordination of efforts and establish an action plan for 2025, considering the strategic analysis of the prevailing situation in Western Sahara, the region, and internationally. They will emphasize the justice of the Sahrawi cause and the need to expedite the organization of a self-determination referendum for the Sahrawi people.
Several topics will be debated, including strengthening the status of the Sahrawi state, human rights, and developments in the legal battle led by the Sahrawis against the plundering of their natural resources by the Moroccan occupier.
The meeting will also shed light on the human rights situation in the occupied Sahrawi territories. Additionally, it will aim to strengthen the international solidarity network with the Sahrawi cause, including within parliamentary frameworks (at regional, national, European, and continental levels) and through twinning agreements between cities.
Particular attention will be given to information and appropriate media to amplify the voice of the Sahrawi people.
A conference organized by unions in solidarity with the Sahrawi people, featuring delegations from Africa, particularly from Sahel countries, Latin America, and Europe, will call for a boycott of Moroccan products. Another session led by representatives of the European Movement for Solidarity with the Sahrawi People is also planned.