Dakhla (Refugee camps) - African politicians on Saturday expressed their solidarity with the struggle of the Saharawi people for self-determination and independence, reiterating their "unconditional" support for the Saharawi cause.
Approached by APS on the sidelines of the 16th Congress of the Polisario Front held from 13 to 17 January in the wilaya of Dakhla, in the Sahrawi refugee camps, the Secretary General of the South African Communist Party, Solly Mapaila, expressed the unconditional solidarity and unwavering support of the representatives of the communist movements with the struggle of the Sahrawi people for freedom and independence.
He called on Spain, in its capacity as administering power in Western Sahara, to "apply the principle of the right to the recovery of independence in this Non-Self-Governing Territory", recalling that the resumption of armed struggle and military operations by the Polisario Front was due to Morocco's violation of the ceasefire agreement in force since 1991.
"The Saharawi people have chosen armed struggle to defend their legitimate rights," he said, stressing that his party expresses unconditional support for any action chosen by the Sahrawis to defend their rights.
In this context, Solly Mapaila called on the African Union (AU) to "put pressure on Morocco which, as a member of this pan-African organization, has no right to undermine the sovereignty of another member state", in this case Western Sahara.
He also urged the United Nations to implement the resolutions on the referendum plan in Western Sahara and called on the countries of Africa, Latin America and the Middle East to denounce Morocco's occupation of this non-self-governing territory which remains the last colony in Africa.
For her part, Namibia's ambassador to Sahrawi Republic, Panduleni-Kaino Shigenge, indicated that her country's support for the Sahrawi cause "does not need an excuse or pretext".
"It is a just support to a just cause in order to obtain freedom and independence and to guarantee the Sahrawi people their right to self-determination," she said, praising Algeria's efforts in solidarity with the Sahrawi people.
"We are proud of what Algeria is doing in favor of the Saharawi cause, especially with regard to the protection of Saharawis by allowing them to lead a dignified life in refugee camps and protecting them from the repression of the Moroccan regime," said Shigenge, who is also Namibia's ambassador to Algeria.
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