Bogotá, August 22, 2026 (SPS) – More than 40 members of the Congress of the Republic of Colombia expressed their strong rejection of the decision by the government of President Abelardo de la Espriella to recognize the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara.
In a statement issued from Congress, the Colombian lawmakers described the decision as an act that makes Colombia “complicit in the violation of the fundamental right to self-determination.”
“The oppression exercised by the Kingdom of Morocco against the Sahrawi people represents one of the gravest tragedies in the recent history of humanity, one that warrants nothing less than absolute condemnation,” the statement said.
The signatories recalled that the first foreign-policy decision of the government of President Gustavo Petro was the official recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as a sovereign nation, including the acceptance of its ambassador and the opening of its embassy in Bogotá.
The statement stressed that the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination is enshrined in numerous United Nations resolutions, with the organization recognizing Western Sahara as the last colony on the African continent.
“The Sahrawi people have been systematically denied the possibility of deciding their own destiny. They are a people held captive within their own borders,” the document stated.
The lawmakers described the current government’s position as “outrageous,” particularly given that Colombia is one of the countries that has suffered most from forced displacement.
Finally, the parliamentarians reiterated their commitment to continuing their struggle from Congress as human rights defenders “in favor of all oppressed peoples,” so that Western Sahara can live “free from oppression, violence and injustice.” They also expressed their “immense repudiation” of a position that, they said, does not represent the views of the Colombian people.
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