The Polisario Front is intensifying its opposition to Amina Bouayach, president of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), in her bid for the 2025 Nelson Mandela Human Rights Prize. In a letter addressed to the award's organizing committee, one of its affiliated associations expressed deep concern about the potential selection of Bouayach as a laureate. The Association of Families of Sahrawi Prisoners and Disappeared Persons (AFAPREDESA) stated that such a decision would «betray the universal values defended by Nelson Mandela» and send a «disastrous message» to those fighting for their legitimate rights. The NGO criticized Bouayach for «publicly supporting the Moroccan annexation of Western Sahara, thereby denying the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination». This mobilization has also garnered support from the «Sahrawi parliament», which urged «United Nations Nelson Mandela Prize officials to firmly reject this indecent nomination». The statement further asserted that awarding the prize to Bouayach would betray the values of justice, dignity, and freedom embodied by Nelson Mandela. The Sahrawi Human Rights Committee has echoed this stance. This opposition to Bouayach's candidacy mirrors the actions taken by the Polisario in 2023 against Morocco's bid for the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Nelson Mandela Human Rights Prize, organized by the United Nations, was established in 2015 following the adoption of resolution 68/275 by the General Assembly on June 6, 2014. According to the UN, the announcement of the laureates is scheduled for May, with a ceremony set for July 18 in New York. On May 8, the CNDH celebrates the 35th anniversary of its creation by the late King Hassan II. The United Nations Security Council has praised the efforts of the CNDH's regional sections in Western Sahara, particularly in Laayoune and Dakhla, as outlined in its resolutions. The Fifteen «welcome the measures and initiatives taken by Morocco, the role played by the commissions of the National Human Rights Council in Dakhla and Laayoune, and the interaction between Morocco and the mechanisms under the special procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council», according to resolution 2756 of October 31, 2024.
