Banjul (Gambia), May 9, 2026 (SPS) – The Sahrawi delegation participating in the NGO Forum held on the sidelines of the 87th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, the capital of Gambia, highlighted the catastrophic human rights situation in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.
The Sahrawi delegation included the President of the Sahrawi Observatory for Natural Resources Monitoring and Environmental Protection and coordinator of the Working Group on Human Rights in Western Sahara, Yakouta El Mokhtar; the Secretary-General of the League for the Protection of Sahrawi Prisoners in Moroccan Prisons, Hassanna Aba Moulay Dahi; the President of the Association of Families of Sahrawi Disappeared and Kidnapped Persons, Abdsalam Omar; in addition to Mina Baali, member of the executive office of the Sahrawi Body Against Moroccan Occupation (ISACOM).
This marks the first participation of Sahrawi civil society in the NGO Forum, representing a very important opportunity to present developments regarding the human rights situation in Western Sahara amid the serious violations committed by the occupation against Sahrawi civilians.
During the forum’s opening day yesterday, the Sahrawi delegation focused on the escalation of crimes committed by the Moroccan occupation against Sahrawis in the context of international silence and impunity. This participation is part of ongoing efforts by Sahrawi civil society organizations to keep the human rights issue in Western Sahara present in African and international discussions.
The delegation also held a series of meetings with civil society organizations from participating countries and opened discussions on the role of African mechanisms in protecting and promoting human rights.
