Johannesburg (South Africa) 04 June 2026 (SPS) – The Conference of the Left, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, has reaffirmed its steadfast support for the Sahrawi people’s struggle for freedom and independence, stressing their inalienable right to self-determination.
The position was expressed in the conference’s final declaration adopted at the gathering, which brought together political parties, trade unions, social movements, solidarity organizations, and progressive African and international forces from May 29 to 31, 2026.
Participants in the conference, held under the theme “Building a Left Movement for Working-Class and Popular Power,” expressed their solidarity with oppressed peoples around the world, foremost among them the Sahrawi people, reiterating their support for the rights of these peoples to sovereignty, self-determination, dignity, liberation, and peaceful development.
The final declaration underscored support for the “liberation and self-determination of the people of Western Sahara,” while also expressing solidarity with the peoples of the Sahel region in their struggle against neo-colonial domination, foreign control, resource exploitation, and dependency.
This position comes within the framework of the conference’s commitment to the principles of progressive internationalism, African unity, and opposition to imperialism and neo-colonialism. Participants emphasized that the struggle of peoples for freedom and sovereignty forms part of a global struggle against capitalism, domination, occupation, economic sanctions, wars, and aggression.
The conference stressed that genuine peace cannot be separated from resistance to occupation, foreign domination, and the plunder of natural resources, as well as opposition to the imposition of dependency on peoples and weaker nations. It called for strengthened international solidarity with national liberation movements and just causes in Africa and across the world.
Participants also denounced forms of economic and political exploitation that perpetuate dependency on the African continent, emphasizing the need to build international relations based on national sovereignty, African integration, and cooperation among the peoples of the Global South, free from patterns of domination and exploitation inherited from the colonial era.
The declaration noted that Africa continues to suffer from the effects of neo-colonialism through mechanisms of economic dependency, unequal exchange, and control over strategic resources. It called for empowering African peoples to exercise control over their natural wealth and development paths in a manner that serves their aspirations for freedom, social justice, and independence.
The conference further affirmed that support for the right of peoples to self-determination constitutes a fundamental principle of international law and of liberation and progressive movements worldwide, renewing its commitment to stand alongside peoples living under occupation or subjected to various forms of domination and colonialism.
The conference concluded its work by reaffirming the importance of continued coordination and joint action among progressive forces and international solidarity movements in support of national liberation causes, the defense of peoples’ rights to sovereignty and independence, and the promotion of the values of justice, peace, and solidarity among nations. (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
