The senior UK representative of the Polisario Front, Lamine Baali will address a campaign meeting on Western Sahara on Monday evening. Lamine Baali, formerly the Polisario representative in Sweden has just returned from attending the Labour Party conference, will discuss the situation inside the refugee camps were around 165,000 Saharawi refugees have lived for over three decades. He will also describe the current human rights situation for the Saharawis still living in occupied Western Sahara and analyse the latest international developments including recent support for self-determination from Venezuela, Namibia and Libya as well as a new approach from the Obama administration.

Baali was at the Brighton Conference to ensure that the crisis in Western Sahara was high on the political agenda. As well as meetings in the main conference arena, Baali addressed fringe meetngs and calling for an end to Morocco's 34 year illegal occupation which forced half the Saharawi population to flee to refugee camps whilst the other half suffer human rights abuses in their native land. Over the three days, he met with Baroness Kinnock, Minister of State for Europe, Michael Cashman MEP, Lord George Foulkes and several MP's including Andy Love and Jeremy Corbyn, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Western Sahara. At the International Reception on Monday, Mr Baali raised the question of the UN's role in resolving the situation in Western Sahara and how activities can better be coordinated between between the UN, the EU, the G20 and the African Union. At a meeting on international affairs attended by David Miliband (Foreign Secretary), Bob Ainsworth, (Defence Secretary) and Douglas Alexander (International Development Secretary) two questions on Western Sahara were raised. The first, from the head of the Angolan delegation, expressed concern about the human rights situation in the occupied territories. The second, from Mr Baali raised the issue of the advanced status that the EU plans to grant Morocco and its link to EU Fisheries Agreement.

Y Lamine Baali said today:

“I welcome the opportunity to attend this meeting and help ensure that that the issue of Western Sahara is not forgotten. We have been here to remind the world that our country has been occupied unlawfully for more than three decades. The International Court of Justice's ruling has been ignored. Over 100 UN Resolutions have been disregarded. And in the meantime the Saharawi people's human rights are abused with impunity. Over 165,000 them have lived as refugees in remote camps in the Algerian desert for more than a generation. Although international action is long overdue, we believe that the force of history is on our side and our right to self-determination will soon be realised.”

The meeting will be held at 6.30pm in Development House, 54 Leonard Street, London EC2A (Nearest Tube, Old Street). All welcome.

Find out more at www.freesahara.ning.com