ANC-Polisario Relations: An Enduring Bond Between Liberation Movements Counter-Argument

In the United States, analysts have expressed concerns that the senior leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) is conducting Western Sahara policy in South Africa.

Pouring cold water over those concerns, a South African official stresses that the political party “does not hide its support and solidarity with the Sahrawi people.”

The official notes the ANC has “called for the end of occupation of Western Sahara … since the days of the struggle under the leadership of OR Tambo.”

On their account, the ANC “has never stopped its call for the support of the Western Sahara struggle under the leadership of Polisario Front.”

Another concern that has been expressed is that the Government of South Africa is coordinating its position on Western Sahara with the Government of Algeria.

The South African official says that the ANC does not “hide its engagement with its counterparts abroad including Algeria on the continuation of solidarity with the Saharawi people.”

However, the official clarifies that it “does not conspire in the dark to maintain its solidarity with the disenfranchised people of Western Sahara.”

Returning to the arguments, the South African official alleges that the Yabiladi journalist who wrote the article, Latifa Babas, is “trying to trivialize the fraternal relations between Algeria and South Africa.”

As “an extension of Morocco occupation,” the official claims that Babas is simply “using the talking points of Morocco” to try to portray the “ANC visit to Algeria as a plot to conspire or coordinate anti-Morocco activities.”

Image Credit: Veronca Forque via Wikipedia