Greta Thunberg Condemns Moroccan Occupation of Western Sahara, Calling Out Global Silence

BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | January 10th, 2025 — Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has strongly condemned the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, criticizing the global media and international community for their complete silence on the issue. During her visit to the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf on January 6, 2025, Thunberg highlighted the ongoing struggle of the Sahrawi people and the neglect they face on the global stage.

Arriving in Algeria on Saturday, January 4, Thunberg traveled by land to the refugee camps in Tindouf, where she participated in the International Solidarity Conference with the Sahrawi People from January 5 to 7. In a filmed interview with a Sahrawi media platform, Thunberg expressed gratitude for the warm reception and hospitality she experienced in the camps.

She remarked, “I had the opportunity to learn more about the occupation and life here in the camps, where people have demonstrated extraordinary resilience for the past fifty years. They have been denied their right to return home and their right to self-determination. Hearing these stories is profoundly disturbing, especially when realizing how silent the global community remains and how international institutions have failed. The Sahrawi people have patiently awaited a fair referendum for decades but have received nothing. The world’s silence is complicity. By turning a blind eye to the suffering and struggle of the Sahrawi people in Western Sahara, the world perpetuates this crisis and colludes in their suffering.”

Speaking about the impact of her visit, Thunberg emphasized, “The Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara is a matter the media and global community remain entirely silent on. Colonialism and severe oppression are daily realities here, yet they go unreported. When this region makes headlines, the occupation and the plight of the Sahrawi people are deliberately omitted. This silence must end, as it enables ongoing violence and institutional failure.”

The Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf camps have demonstrated remarkable resilience, holding firmly to their identity despite decades of displacement and hardship.

The 22-year-old activist, renowned for spearheading the global climate movement since her 2018 school strike outside the Swedish parliament, drew connections between the occupation and the climate crisis. “Western Sahara is one of the regions most affected by the climate crisis, facing extreme heat and flooding events. The Sahrawi people, among the most marginalized populations, bear the brunt of this crisis despite contributing the least to it. Moreover, the overexploitation of natural resources is often intertwined with occupation and oppression. For me, the fight for climate justice is inseparable from the fight for liberation and justice for all.”

Thunberg concluded by urging all movements advocating for justice and equality to amplify the Sahrawi cause and give voice to the Sahrawi people. “I feel ashamed and outraged by the global silence on this issue,” she stated.

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