Paris, 16 May 2025 (SPS) An important intellectual colloquium was held at the prestigious Sorbonne University in the French capital, under the theme ‘Colonialism in Western Sahara and France’s position’.
The event, organised by this world-renowned academic institution, was well attended by students and professors, and was broadcast live on several social networking platforms.
The colloquium was attended by professor and researcher Michel Crussel and Mohamed Ali Zerouali, our country’s representative in France, who gave an in-depth lecture focusing on five main themes, tracing the historical, political and militant dimensions of the Sahrawi question.
In his introduction, the Saharawi diplomat expressed his warm thanks to the organisers of the conference, in particular the Cercle Universitaire d’ Etudes Marxistes, and to the audience present.
He then began the first part of his speech by referring to the start of Spanish colonisation of the Western Sahara after the Berlin Conference in 1884, a conference which divided Africa between the European colonial powers as if it were ‘property without a master’. He also expressed the disappointment of the Saharawi people, who at the time were hoping for Morocco’s support in their struggle against the Spanish occupation, only to be faced with a new invasion and occupation by Morocco.
In the second section, Zerouali looked at the struggle of the Polisario Front, stressing that this movement has fought on three simultaneous fronts: the armed struggle, the construction of the institutions of the Sahrawi state, and the mobilisation of international support.
The third theme was the current situation. The speaker praised the resilience of the Saharawi state, despite the harsh conditions of exile, its ability to build legislative and executive institutions, its full membership of the African Union, and the development of its diplomatic relations across the continents.
He also underlined the free education and health services, denouncing the Moroccan ‘wall of shame’ and the miserable conditions in the occupied territories, referring in this connection to the solidarity march with Sahrawi political prisoners which recently reached Spain, after passing through several French cities. He also strongly criticised the inability of the international community, in particular the Security Council, to enforce implementation of the UN peace plan, which led to the resumption of the war after Morocco violated the ceasefire.
On the fourth point, the Saharawi diplomat emphasised the legal battle waged by the Polisario Front before the European courts to defend its sovereignty and the rights of its people, particularly with regard to the plundering of natural resources.
As for the fifth and final axis, he devoted it to the position of France, which he described as biased and unfair towards the Saharawi people. He attributed political and moral responsibility to Paris for perpetuating the suffering of the Sahrawi people for more than half a century. He pointed the finger at successive French governments’ continued support for Morocco, both politically and militarily, including their opposition to expanding MINURSO’s mandate to include human rights monitoring. He denounced France’s double discourse, which contradicts the values of freedom, justice and equality that it claims to uphold.
In conclusion, Zerouali stressed that the Saharawi question remains a matter of decolonisation that can only be resolved by applying the principle of self-determination. He warned against the dangers of maintaining ignorance in the face of the suffering of a peaceful people who have only resorted to war in self-defence.
Finally, he called for a redoubling of academic and media efforts to publicise the Sahrawi cause and break the isolation that surrounds it.
It should be noted that the colloquium did not escape attempts at provocation by certain parties linked to the Moroccan Makhzen, who put pressure on the university administration and the organisers, going so far as to threaten the speakers in order to prevent the event from taking place. These attempts failed, and in fact helped to increase interaction with the conference, which exceeded all expectations in terms of attendance.
