On the Sahrawi Solidarity Summi, which has taken place in the Sahrawi refugee camps in southern Algeria, a message for the struggling people of North-East Syria has been formulated.
The Sahrawi people have lived under Moroccan occupation since 1975. Many fled Moroccan army attacks to southern Algeria, where they have resided in five refugee camps they describe as “resistance camps” ever since. The Sahrawi freedom movement, the Polisario Front, has been combating Moroccan colonialism through both military and peaceful means. The Polisario Front is a socialist-oriented movement that places women’s liberation at its core and maintains solidarity with other oppressed peoples’ struggles. This long-standing resistance has made the Sahrawis and their freedom organization, the Polisario Front, deeply familiar with the challenges and resilience required to fight against occupation and colonialism.
The following has been read out at the summit:
“Since the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring, or how we call it the People’s Spring, in 2011, the people of Rojava have taken their destiny in their own hands and fought for autonomy. Despite attacks by ISIS, Al-Qaida and the Turkish state the Revolution prevailed and defeated occupation.
From then on the people organized themselves according to a Democratic Confederal system including all ethnicities, believes and parts of society. Especially taken in consideration that this Revolution is a Women’s Revolution, it had been the Women that made the vanguard-ship in the defense and the organization of society by creating a free will.
In the last 4 years the Third World War has reached it’s peak in the Middle East and North Africa, and the hegemonic forces intensified it’s policies of genocide and occupation for their interests in the regions. Since many years the Turkish State has attacked the Revolution of Rojava with the second biggest army of the NATO and its Special Warfare technologies, by systematically using drones. In the last 3 years Rojava’s infrastructure was bombed by the Turkish State to empty Rojava of it’s people and to create disbelieve inside the society. But the people of Rojava will resist and have shown their stance in this phase very clearly. This is taking it’s heritage from it’s historical resistance seen in Aleppo, Kobanê and Afrin. The culture of not leaving, but fighting has become part of this society’s belief and daily stance. Systematical attacks on the revolution of Rojava continued until November 2024 when the Turkish backed SNA started to invade the Democratic Autonomous Administration North-East Syria areas to occupy and to destroy the people’s revolution. Since then the people of Rojava had been in total resistance against the SNA and Turkish state’s attacks. Not just the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) but all the people in Rojava are following the Strategy of Revolutionary People’s war and started to take up weapons to defend themselves.
What the people of Rojava and the people of the West Sahara have in common is that they have never accepted occupation and picked up arms to defend their land and the freedom of their people. For this reason the hegemonic forces have declared these people as terrorists to legitimize their interests and their warfare. This shows us that the people of Kurdistan and of West-Sahara are waging this struggle together. Until one of us is still holding up a weapon for their legitimate self-defense and the freedom of the people, the struggle of the people of the world for freedom will continue. Therefore, we see this meeting as very important and we want to express with this especially that both these movements are going through a critical phase. We both face large attacks by the hegemonic forces but through our resistance we will strengthen each others struggles. We have strong believe in this and therefore see the need to connect more and to surpass the level of solidarity. This is why we call on you: It’s our common responsibility to defend the Revolution of Rojava and to stop the attacks on our struggles.
Down with occupation!
Down with all the imperial forces!
Down with the capitalist system!
Long live the Jin Jiyan Azadî Revolution!
Victory to the resistance of the people!”