Photo: Alexander Leisser / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Polisario Front has taken part in the Second African Political Parties Summit in Addis Ababa, placing Sahrawi representation within a continental discussion on governance, development and political leadership.
Sahrawi delegation at continental gathering
The Sahara Press Service, the Sahrawi state news agency, said the delegation was led by Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, a minister of state, diplomatic adviser to the presidency and head of the Polisario Front’s external relations committee. He was accompanied by Maalainine Lakhal, deputy permanent representative of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic to Ethiopia and the African Union.
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The report said the delegation joined the summit held in Ethiopia’s capital from 5 to 7 November under the theme, “Governing for Growth: Political Parties as Architects of Africa’s Economic Future”.
The Polisario Front’s participation has not been independently detailed by the summit organisers or the African Union in the material reviewed by DGBN. However, official and Ethiopian reports confirm that the summit brought together political leaders, policymakers and party representatives from across the continent.
Focus on parties beyond elections
Hosted at the Adwa Victory Memorial, the gathering was organised by Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party in collaboration with the Africa Governance Center. Organisers said it aimed to push political parties towards longer-term roles in economic policymaking, institutional development and regional cooperation.
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The summit concluded on 7 November with the adoption of the Addis Ababa Declaration. Ethiopian News Agency reported that delegates also adopted a charter for the African Political Parties Initiative, setting out governance structures and leadership arrangements for the platform.
The declaration framed political parties as central to preparing leaders, shaping public policy and maintaining development priorities beyond electoral cycles. It also identified youth and women’s political forums as continuing parts of the initiative.
Why Sahrawi participation matters
For Sahrawi representatives, participation in African political forums carries significance beyond party diplomacy. The Western Sahara dispute remains unresolved, while the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic retains a contested place in African politics and within the African Union.
The Addis Ababa summit provided a setting for the Polisario Front to engage with political actors from across the continent at a time when questions of democratic governance, economic inclusion and self-determination remain closely linked in African public life.
For Black African audiences, the development also underlines the continuing importance of continental institutions and political networks in determining whose voices are heard in debates over sovereignty, development and Africa’s future.
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The summit’s new inter-party framework will now be judged by whether it produces practical cooperation on jobs, investment, accountable institutions and political participation — rather than another declaration without delivery.