NEW YORK (United Nations), October 28, 2026 (SPS) – Dr. Sidi Mohamed Omar, Member of Polisario Front’s National Secretariat, Representative at the United Nations, and Coordinator with MINURSO, affirmed that the Sahrawi people stand tall today, refusing to be silenced or forgotten, emphasizing that they have been and will always remain a free and sovereign nation on their homeland.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the photo exhibition "50 Years, 50 Faces: Sahrawi Exile, a Life of Resilience" held yesterday at the UN Headquarters in New York, Dr. Sidi Omar expressed deep gratitude to Oxfam and its dedicated team for turning the initiative into reality, as well as to the co-sponsoring Permanent Missions of Algeria, Belize, Namibia, South Africa, Timor-Leste, and Uganda for their unwavering solidarity.
He noted that hosting the exhibition inside the UN headquarters for the first time brings critical attention not only to the legal and political dimensions of the Western Sahara issue, but also to its profound human aspects. He stressed that behind every face in the exhibition lies a story of resilience, an unfinished journey of hope, and a human spirit that far transcends words like "displacement" or "exile."

"The story of our people is more than just a story of exile and survival under harsh conditions; it is a story of resilience, unyielding determination, and continuous resistance against the Moroccan occupation of our land," Dr. Sidi Omar stated.
Joining the Permanent Representative of Namibia, Ambassador Penda Naanda, in condemning the attempts by the Moroccan Permanent Mission to block the event, Dr. Sidi Omar declared: "We have fought for generations against those who sought to silence us and deny our existence. Today, we stand tall, refusing to be silenced or forgotten. Let the message of the Sahrawi people resound through these halls: We, the Sahrawi people, have been and will always remain a free and sovereign nation on our homeland." (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
