Banjul (Gambia), 14 May 2026 (SPS) – The Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center in the Gambian capital, Banjul, hosted a conference on the human rights situation in Western Sahara.
The conference was organized on the sidelines of the 87th Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights under the theme: “Invisible Crises and Restricted Spaces: Protecting Human Rights and Ensuring Accountability in the Occupied Territories of the Sahrawi Republic.”
The conference was attended by representatives of several human rights organizations participating in the 87th session of the African Commission, in addition to a number of Gambian media outlets interested in covering the Commission’s proceedings and human rights issues across the African continent.
Presentations delivered during the conference addressed the legal and political context of the Sahrawi issue, including the legal status of Western Sahara under international law and United Nations resolutions, as well as discussions on the responsibilities and mechanisms of the African Union and the relevant African charters related to the protection of human rights and peoples’ right to self-determination.
Speakers highlighted the human rights situation in the occupied territories of Western Sahara and the systematic violations suffered by Sahrawi civilians amid restrictions imposed on international monitoring and media blackout.
Participants stressed the importance of strengthening the presence of African and international protection mechanisms in Western Sahara and working to ensure accountability and the protection of Sahrawi human rights defenders, in line with the principles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and international law.
