Dr Andrea Maria Pelliconi Visits Sahrawi Refugee Camps for Legal Status of Western Sahara Research

Dr Andrea Maria Pelliconi undertook a week-long visit to the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria from 1-8 December 2024, culminating in her participation in the International Congress on Western Sahara on 5-6 December.

The Congress, themed “The Legal Status of Western Sahara and the Issue of Natural Resources,” brought together diplomats, jurists, academics, and representatives from national and international organisations to discuss the legal and political dimensions of the Western Sahara conflict. During her stay, Pelliconi visited key institutions in the camps, including the Parliament, schools, the central hospital, the Ministry of Equality (where she met with Minister Ms Salamo Aleycom), the Anti-Mine Association, the Association of the Families of Sahrawi Prisoners and Disappeared (AFAPREDESA), and the Museum of Resistance, among others. At the Congress, she contributed to discussions on the right to self-determination and independence in the African human rights system, the recent decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the Front Polisario II case, and climate vulnerability amid forced displacement.

This activity offered critical insights into the lived realities of the Sahrawi community and facilitated the development of academic and professional networks. It also strengthened engagement with research communities focused on international human rights, self-determination, and resource exploitation in conflict zones, raising awareness of human rights violations in Western Sahara. Pelliconi's participation was sponsored by the British Academy-Leverhulme Small Grant scheme.