Maghreb : The Polisario attends a congress held in Tunisia
An official Polisario delegation is currently in Tunisia attending a conference titled «Building Social Cohesion in a Changing World». Organized by the Catalan NGO NOVACT, the event includes the participation of a senior official from the Front's so-called «Ministry of Youth and Sports», according to the SPS news agency on Tuesday, April 22.
As with previous events organized by the same association—such as the Camp for Climate Justice forum held from September 26 to 30, 2022—the Tunisian authorities have once again allowed the Polisario's participation. This move further underscores the ongoing tensions between Rabat and Tunis, signaling that reconciliation remains elusive.
Relations between the two countries have significantly deteriorated since August 2022, when Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed gave a warm welcome to the Polisario leader during the Japan-Africa summit. The president has since moved away from the neutral stance of his predecessors on the Western Sahara issue, aligning more closely with Algeria's position. On August 25, 2024, President Saïed instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs to make «the defense of the right of peoples to self-determination» a guiding principle of Tunisian diplomacy.
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