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April 13, 2022

Streamed live April 13, 2022 — Host Bill Fletcher, Jr. is joined by panelists Katlyn Thomas, Stephen Zunes and Christopher Ross for a webinar: “US Policy Towards Western Sahara – Africa’s Last Remaining Colony” presented by The Campaign to End the Occupation of the Western Sahara (freewesternsahara.org) in partnership with the Institute of the Black World 21st Century (ibw21.org) and the Pan African Unity Dialogue (ibw21.org/paud).

About Host

Bill Fletcher, Jr.
Co-coordinator of the Campaign to End the Moroccan Occupation of the Western Sahara.
He is a longtime trade unionist, writer, and a past president of TransAfrica Forum.

About Panelists

Katlyn Thomas
Katlyn Thomas is an attorney, former MINURSO official, and author of The Emperor’s Clothes: The Naked Truth About Western Sahara.

Stephen Zunes
Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he served as founding director of the program in Middle Eastern Studies. He is the co-author (with Jacob Mundy) of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism and Conflict Irresolution.

Christopher Ross
Christopher Ross served as Ambassador to Algeria from 1988 to1991 and to Syria from1991 to 1998. The Secretary-General named him as his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara in 2009,a post from which he stepped down in 2017.

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The Campaign to End the Occupation of the Western Sahara, a diverse coalition of organizations and individuals committed to international justice and respect for national self-determination seeks: The withdrawal of Morocco from Western Sahara; A transition of authority to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, in accordance with the Charter of the African Union; An expeditious return of Sahrawi refugees and Sahrawi diaspora to their homeland; An end to any U.S. assistance to Morocco that could be used to advance a claim to the Western Sahara and/or harm the Sahrawi people. Learn more — freewesternsahara.org

IBW21

IBW21 (The Institute of the Black World 21st Century) is committed to enhancing the capacity of Black communities in the U.S. and globally to achieve cultural, social, economic and political equality and an enhanced quality of life for all marginalized people.