Adelaide (Australia), 25 July 2026 (SPS) – Australia's ruling Labor Party has reaffirmed its unwavering support for the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination through a resolution adopted at its 50th National Conference, held in Adelaide from 23 to 25 July.
The resolution expresses the party's strong support for the United Nations-led efforts to enable the people of Western Sahara to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination, in accordance with international legitimacy and the principles of decolonisation. The conference also called for the expansion of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to include the independent monitoring and reporting of the human rights situation in the Territory, as well as the protection of Sahrawi civilians.
Reflecting the governing party's concern over the serious human rights situation in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, the resolution further called for the immediate and unconditional release of all Sahrawi political prisoners held in Moroccan prisons.
The newly adopted resolution reaffirms the Australian Labor Party's longstanding principled and balanced position on the Sahrawi issue, a stance that continues to enjoy strong backing from the Australian trade union movement and is firmly grounded in respect for international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
The conference was attended by the Polisario Front Representative to Australia and the Pacific Region, Mohamed Fadel Kamal, who welcomed the resolution, describing it as a renewed affirmation of the Australian Labor Party's consistent position and its alignment with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions on Western Sahara.
The Sahrawi diplomat noted that the adoption of the resolution by the party leading the Australian Government carries particular political significance and reflects the continued solidarity of Australian political and trade union circles with the Sahrawi people's legitimate struggle for freedom and independence. He stressed that the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination is a firmly established and inalienable legal right that cannot be overridden by attempts to impose solutions contrary to their freely expressed will or to legitimise Morocco's illegal occupation of parts of the territory of the Sahrawi Republic.
The Polisario Front representative further underlined that the conference's call for the release of Sahrawi political prisoners comes at a particularly critical time, as the Moroccan occupation authorities continue to detain a number of Sahrawi human rights defenders despite repeated calls from the United Nations and international human rights organisations for their release. He also urged the Australian Government, the international community and human rights organisations to take urgent action to save the life of Sahrawi political prisoner Naâma Asfari and to exert pressure on the Moroccan occupation authorities to release him and all Sahrawi political prisoners.
On the sidelines of the conference, the Polisario Front representative held a series of meetings with conference participants, providing updates on the latest developments concerning the Sahrawi cause, the UN-led peace process, the ongoing human rights violations in the occupied cities of Western Sahara, and the plight of Sahrawi political prisoners in Moroccan prisons. The meetings also highlighted the importance of Australia's continued support for international legality and for the United Nations' efforts to complete the decolonisation of Western Sahara by enabling the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to self-determination and independence freely and democratically.
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