A look back at the state visit to South Africa of Saharawi leader Brahim Ghali
Audio 01:30
Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali arrives for an official visit to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, on October 18, 2022 in Pretoria.
© Claire Bargelès / RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
South Africa welcomed Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali with open arms on Tuesday 18 October.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa received the Saharawi independence leader with great fanfare in Pretoria, while the UN Security Council devotes several meetings this month to the question of Western Sahara, which Morocco considers a part of its territory.
Pretoria has always supported the Saharawi movement, and is campaigning for the application of the self-determination referendum provided for in the 1991 ceasefire agreement.
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With our correspondent in Johannesburg,
Claire Bargelès
The red carpet covered the steps of the presidency, the Sahrawi flag – a
“
non-autonomous
” territory according to the UN
– floated alongside that of South Africa and 21 cannon shots rang out in Pretoria.
Brahim Ghali is indeed on a state visit
, with all the protocol that implies, and he is received as an equal by his host.
Because South Africa, according to Cyril Ramaphosa, is the "
home away from home
", i.e. the second house of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the two countries share according to him "
a strong history of struggle
”.
Because for President Cyril Ramaphosa, the struggles of the ANC and the Polisario Front are inseparable: "
Your visit, Mr. President, is a meeting of comrades who share the same vision, and who hope, together, to fight to achieve the freedom, self-determination and territorial integrity.
»
The leader of the Polisario Front does not hesitate, during his speech, to salute the great figures of the ANC who fought against apartheid, and to recall the strong links between the two formations.
"
We believe that other struggles are heard with much more decibels
", also regretted the South African head of state, while Pretoria is regularly criticized for its silence concerning the war in Ukraine, before add that “
we will not apologize for our relationship of support vis-à-vis the Sahrawi people.
»
The Sahara discussed during the visit of the Spanish Prime Minister?
As
countries that lend their support to the SADR
become increasingly rare, this public display of friendship from the South African giant encourages Brahim Ghali to call on the rest of the continent to follow:
While we are a people who have suffered injustice, people who have suffered like us need to understand our suffering.
And there is no doubt that all the peoples of the African continent have suffered from colonization and occupation.
So these peoples should objectively be on our side.
The
subject of Western Sahara should be put back
on the table by the end of the month by President Cyril Ramaphosa, since he will also receive the President of the Spanish government Pedro Sánchez,
whose government has recently moved closer to Morocco
.
►
To read also:
The Arab Maghreb Union put to the test by tensions between Morocco and Tunisia
Long-standing unwavering support in Pretoria
How to explain this unfailing support from South Africa to the Sahrawi cause?
For Liesl Louw Vaudran, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria, this support has been part of South Africa's foreign policy for a long time, since the ANC has been in power.
South Africa has already received Brahim Ghali on several occasions, Pretoria has never changed its position, explains Liesl Louw Vaudran, researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
Magali Lagrange
►
To read also:
The Arab Maghreb Union put to the test by tensions between Morocco and Tunisia
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South Africa
Diplomacy
Western Sahara
Cyril Ramaphosa
Morocco
Spain