President Brahim Ghali urges UN Secretary-General to act urgently for release of Sahrawi civilian political prisoners

Bir Lehlou (Saharawi Republic) – October 06, 2026 (SPS) – President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, sent an urgent letter on Monday to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, calling for immediate UN intervention over the dangerous situation facing Sahrawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan jails.

In his letter, President Ghali drew attention to the deteriorating conditions following an open-ended hunger strike launched on September 23, by nine Sahrawi civilian political prisoners from the Gdeim Izik group across the Ait Melloul 2, Tiflet 2, and Kenitra prisons.

The Sahrawi president highlighted that the prisoners initiated the hunger strike to protest appalling prison conditions, violations of international humanitarian law—specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention—and the Moroccan authorities' failure to comply with the recommendations of UN mechanisms regarding arbitrary detention and torture.

Instead of addressing the prisoners' legitimate demand to be transferred closer to their families in the occupied cities of Western Sahara, Moroccan occupying authorities responded with further repression, dispersal, communication bans, and coercive transfers without notifying relatives.

President Ghali warned that several detainees, including Mohamed Bani and Hassanna Aalia (Hassan Eddah), are in critical health conditions requiring urgent and appropriate medical care. He further condemned the continuous harassment of the prisoners' families, who face severe travel hardships and are frequently denied visitation rights.

Calling on the UN Chief and the international community to assume their full responsibilities, President Ghali demanded immediate action to halt the retaliatory measures and secure the immediate release of all Sahrawi civilian prisoners. He emphasized that they were unjustly detained and sentenced merely for advocating for the implementation of UN resolutions and the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination and independence.