Algeria's MFA: Western Sahara last colony in Africa

Western Sahara, most of which is controlled by the Royal Armed Forces (RAF) of Morocco, remains the last colony in Africa, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf said.

He made the remarks during the 44th anniversary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

“Our collective solidarity remains steadfast with our brothers and sisters in Western Sahara—the last colony in Africa that is still deprived of its inalienable right to self-determination,” he said.

“Over time, some countries tend to accept or even justify the established colonial order in Western Sahara. However, as we all know, facts are stubborn things, and regardless of the desires of those who choose to position themselves on the wrong side of history, Western Sahara remains a matter of decolonization, and the Sahrawi people have the right to eventually exercise their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with international law,” Attaf emphasized.

The situation in Western Sahara has been a subject of international dispute for many decades. The Algerian authorities have long recognized the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and support the authorities and army of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR, proclaimed on February 27, 1976), which opposes the Moroccan RAF. Rabat considers Western Sahara to be an integral part of its territory and only allows for its autonomy within the kingdom.