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Thousands of soldiers and supporters of the Polisario Front, the Western Saharan independence movement, gathered at the Dakhla refugee camp in Algeria’s Tindouf region on Thursday to mark the start of a party convention.
The gathering will attempt to discuss the party’s policies and strategies in its struggle against Morocco, which has controlled much of Western Sahara since it moved in 1975 after the withdrawal of Spanish settlers.
The 16th Congress of the Polisario Movement will also hold elections for leadership, which will run until 17 January.
The UN Security Council has called for the resumption of negotiations in the conflict zone and expressed “deep concern” over the breakdown of the 1991 ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario.
The long-running dispute shows no signs of ending.
A UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991 led to peacekeeping operations that also helped prepare for a referendum on the territory’s future. A referendum was never held due to disagreements over who was eligible to vote.
Morocco proposes broad autonomy for Western Sahara. But the Polisario Front claims that the local population, estimated at 350,000 to 500,000 he said, has the right to vote.
The Polisario Front ended its ceasefire in November 2020 and resumed armed conflict after a border dispute with Morocco that continues today.
Through Congress, Polisario Front leadership seeks to maintain support within the party that only a military approach can win Western Sahara’s independence.
It was attended by the Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, the President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Brahim Ghali, delegations of countries recognizing the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and members of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
The last meeting was held in 2019, before hostilities resumed.
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