The leader of the Polisario Front is set to arrive in Luanda, Angola's capital, next week to attend the African Union–European Union summit on November 24 and 25, as reported by an Iberian media outlet this Thursday. The Polisario Front frequently participates in meetings between these two major continental organizations. Despite the fact that no European country recognizes the «Sahrawi Republic», EU member states have not exerted sufficient pressure on the African Union to exclude the Polisario from these high-level gatherings. The European Union defends the presence of the Polisario by deferring responsibility to the pan-African body. «The agreed terms stipulate that each party is responsible for inviting its own members (...). Invitations to African members are sent by the African Union», stated an EU spokesperson last May, just before a meeting in Brussels between EU and AU foreign ministers. Brahim Ghali's anticipated participation in the upcoming summit provides the Polisario with a platform to counter criticisms from Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps and the diaspora, who highlight the Front's diplomatic struggles on the international stage. These struggles are underscored by the withdrawal or suspension of recognition of the «Sahrawi Republic» by several African and South American nations. Beyond the European Union and Japan, the Polisario is notably absent from the African Union's partnership summits with countries like Russia, China, Turkey, Italy, South Korea, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.
