Brahim Ghali
{{short description|Sahrawi President since 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Brahim Ghali
| native_name = {{nobold|إبراهيم غالي}}
| image = Brahim_Ghali_2.jpeg
| caption = Ghali in 2019
| office = 3rd President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
| primeminister = Abdelkader Taleb Omar
Mohamed Wali Akeik
Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun
| term_start = 12 July 2016
| term_end =
| predecessor = Khatri Addouh (interim)
| successor =
| office1 = Sahrawi Ambassador to Algeria
| primeminister1 = Abdelkader Taleb Omar
| term_start1 = 5 June 2010
| term_end1 = 12 July 2016
| predecessor1 = Mohamed Yeslem Beissat
| successor1 = Abdelkader Taleb Omar
| office2 = Sahrawi Ambassador to Spain
| primeminister2 = Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun
Abdelkader Taleb Omar
| term_start2 = September 1999
| term_end2 = February 2008
| predecessor2 = Omar Mansour
| successor2 = Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun
| office3 = Minister of Defense
| primeminister3 = Mohamed Lamine Ould Ahmed
Mahfoud Ali Beiba
| term_start3 = 5 March 1976
| term_end3 = 5 March 2005
| predecessor3 = Position established
| successor3 = Mohamed Lamine Bouhali
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|8|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = Smara, Spanish West Africa
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Sahrawi
Spanish{{cite web|last=González|first=Miguel|title=El documento que acredita la nacionalidad española de Gali desde 2004|url=https://elpais.com/espana/2021-09-24/el-documento-que-acredita-la-nacionalidad-espanola-de-gali-desde-2004.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924073813/https://elpais.com/espana/2021-09-24/el-documento-que-acredita-la-nacionalidad-espanola-de-gali-desde-2004.html|agency=El País|language=es|date=24 September 2021|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-date=24 September 2021}}
| party = Movement for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Wadi el Dhahab {{small|(1969–1970)}}
Polisario Front
| native_name_lang = ar
}}
Brahim Ghali ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|g|ɑː|l|i}}) ({{langx|ar|rtl=yes|إبراهيم غالي|translit=Ibrāhīm Ġālī|lit=|links=}}, born 19 August 1949) is a Sahrawi politician, military officer and current president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), formerly its ambassador to Algeria and Spain.{{cite news|title=Ambassador Brahim Gali condoles family of Abdelhamid Mehri|url=http://www.spsrasd.info/en/content/ambassador-brahim-gali-condoles-family-abdelhamid-mehri|publisher=Sahara Press Service|date=2 February 2012|access-date=5 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120153858/http://www.spsrasd.info/en/content/ambassador-brahim-gali-condoles-family-abdelhamid-mehri|archive-date=20 January 2015}}{{cite news|title=The Polisario accused AQIM of kidnapping 3 Europeans|url=http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/news/7531.html|publisher=Ennahar online|date=23 October 2011|access-date=5 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120163452/http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/news/7531.html|archive-date=20 January 2015|url-status=dead}}
Ghali played a key role in the struggle of the Sahrawi people for self-determination and independence from Morocco. He was instrumental in the creation of the Movement for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Wadi el Dhahab,{{cite web|title=Declaración de Mohamed Bassir (1970)|url=http://www.desaparecidos.org/sahara/basiri/|publisher=Desaparecidos.org|access-date=5 September 2012}} {{in lang|es}}, the 1970 Zemla Intifada against Spanish rule,{{cite news|title=Brahim Gali|url=http://videochat.diariovasco.com/videochat.php?videochat=gali|publisher=Diario Vasco|date=26 July 2007|access-date=5 September 2012}} {{in lang|es}} the foundation of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro (Polisario Front) in 1973, and the Sahrawi Republic in 1976. He also played a major role in the Western Sahara War and establishment of MINURSO, the UN peacekeeping mission for the Western Sahara.
Early life
Ghali was born in Smara on 19 August 1949.{{Cite web |date=July 9, 2016 |title=Ibrahim Ghali elected Secretary General of Polisario Front |url=https://www.spsrasd.info/news/en/articles/2016/07/09/2931.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710151910/https://www.spsrasd.info/news/en/articles/2016/07/09/2931.html |archive-date=July 10, 2016 |access-date=July 9, 2016 |website=Sahara Press Service |language=en}} Ghali joined the Spanish-led Tropas Nómadas in the late 1960s and was subsequently dispatched to Smara for administrative work. After several meetings with Mohamed Bassiri and other Sahrawi political leadership, they decided to create the AOLS{{clarify|date=January 2023}} in 1969, with Ghali being the affiliation secretary of the organization. He participated in the AOLS demonstration held in El Aaiun on 16 June 1970, which passed to be known as the Zemla Intifada. Detained that same night by Spanish soldiers, he was sentenced to one year in prison for his political activities. He was freed in 1971 but was briefly detained again in 1972 for taking part in demonstrations.
Political career
Ghali was one of the original founders and leaders of the Polisario Front in 1973 and was elected as the first General Secretary of the movement at its constitutive congress. Alongside El Uali Mustapha Sayed, Ghali led the El-Khanga raid, the first military action of the POLISARIO against a desert post of the Spanish Army, overrunning the position and gathering weapons and equipment.{{cite book|last=Bárbulo|first=Tomás|title=La historia prohibida del Sáhara Español|publisher=Ediciones Destino / Colección Imago Mundi vol. 21|location=Barcelona|year=2002|isbn=978-84-233-3446-9|pages=110–115}} In 1974, as El Uali was elected as the new POLISARIO General Secretary, Ghali was selected to command the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army, its military wing.
On 22 October 1975, Ghali, El Uali, and Mahfoud Ali Beiba met General Federico Gómez de Salazar, the Spanish governor of the territory on the first official encounter between representatives of the Spanish government and the POLISARIO. Negotiations broke off shortly thereafter, with Ghali do not attending another meeting with Gómez de Salazar on 29 October, while the Spanish government declared a curfew on El Aaiun.{{cite news|title=Toque de queda en el Sáhara|url=http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1975/10/29/119.html|publisher=ABC|date=29 October 1975|access-date=5 October 2012}} {{in lang|es}}
On 4 March 1976, he was designated as the defense minister of the first government of SADR, proclaimed in Bir Lehlou on 27 February. He remained in that post until 1989 when he was chosen as Commander-in-chief of the Second Military Region.
At an election held on 9 July 2016, in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Ghali was chosen as the next President and Secretary-General of SADR. Ghali replaced longtime leader Mohamed Abdelaziz, who died on 31 May 2016.{{cite news|title= Western Sahara's Polisario Front Elects Leader |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/07/western-sahara-polisario-congress-new-leader-unity.html|publisher=Al Monitor|date=12 July 2016|access-date=8 November 2017}} Ghali paid a presidential visit to the Nigerian President, President Mohammadu Buhari on Thursday, 13 June 2019, at the villa in Abuja, Nigeria.{{cite news |last1=Television |first1=Oak |title=Buhari receives Saharawi President, Brahim Ghali |url=https://oak.tv/buhari-saharawi-president-brahim-ghali/ |access-date=14 June 2019 |work=OAK TV |date=13 June 2019 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
A complaint was filed against Ghali in 2013 for the alleged rape and sexual abuse of Khadijatou Mahmoud Mohamed Zoubeir. In addition, the ASADEDH ({{Langx|es|Asociación Saharaui para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos}}) filed a lawsuit against him in Spain for alleged torture.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tercerainformacion.es/articulo/internacional/29/05/2021/manuel-olle-el-abogado-que-logro-el-procesamiento-de-doce-militares-y-policias-marroquies-por-genocidio/|website=Tercera Información|title=Manuel Ollé, el abogado que logró el procesamiento de doce militares y policías marroquíes por genocidio|date=29 May 2021}}{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190410020427/http://www.huffpostmaghreb.com/2016/07/05/polisario-rasd-brahim-ghali_n_10816722.html Qui est Brahim Ghali, le candidat unique à la succession de Mohamed Abdelaziz?.]}} Huffington Post, 5 juillet 2016[http://medafricatimes.com/9865-western-sahara-polisario-new-leader-wanted-by-spanish-justice.html Western Sahara-Polisario: New Leader Wanted by Spanish Justice], MedAfrica Times, 12 juillet 2016{{cite web|title=#BalanceTonPorc : Khadijatou Mahmoud dénonce son viol par le chef du Polisario, Brahim Ghali|url=https://www.atlasinfo.fr/BalanceTonPorc-Khadijatou-Mahmoud-denonce-son-viol-par-le-chef-du-Polisario-Brahim-Ghali_a86531.html|last=Atlasinfo|website=Atlasinfo.fr|date=22 October 2017 |language=fr|access-date=12 December 2017}}[http://lnt.ma/proces-a-madrid-contre-des-tortionnaires-du-polisario/ "Procès à Madrid contre des tortionnaires du Polisario"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409155726/https://lnt.ma/proces-a-madrid-contre-des-tortionnaires-du-polisario/ |date=9 April 2019 }}, [http://lnt.ma La Nouvelle Tribune], 11 mars 2014. The ASADEDH was criticized as its chairman, Ramdane Messaoud, is a member of the Moroccan Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs.{{Cite web |title=El promotor de la querella contra el líder del Polisario fue nombrado por el rey de Marruecos para su Consejo sobre el Sáhara |url=https://www.publico.es/politica/promotor-querella-lider-polisario-nombrado-rey-marruecos-consejo-sahara.html |access-date=9 March 2022 |website=www.publico.es|date=21 May 2021 }} Provisionally dismissed, the lawsuits were reopened after Ghali's arrival to Spain in 2021 to recover from a critical health state due to COVID-19. Then, on 19 May 2021, the Spanish Audiencia Nacional summoned him to testify as a defendant in the case presented by the ASADEDH and Fadel Breica; Ghali testified via videoconference from the Hospital San Millán-San Pedro in Logroño as he was recovering from COVID-19 on 1 June 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eldiario.es/politica/avion-partio-argel-destino-logrono-dio-vuelta-instrucciones-controladores-militares_1_7993875.html|website=eldiario.es|title=El avión que partió de Argel con destino Logroño dió la vuelta por instrucciones de los controladores militares|date=1 June 2021}} Judge {{ill|Santiago Pedraz|es}} determined the accusing parties had not brought any evidence whatsoever (not even indicative) hinting at Ghali's culpability.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20210601/7496512/juez-deja-libertad-gali-falta-indicios.html|website=La Vanguardia|title=Gali prepara su salida inminente de España en plena crisis con Marruecos|date=1 June 2021}}
Ghali was re-elected as president and Secretary-General of SADR on 20 January 2023, obtaining 1,253 congressmembers' votes to opponent Bachir Mustafa Sayed's 563. A total of 54 votes were invalid and 227 members were absent.{{Cite tweet|number=1616540058697211904|user=AfricaElect|title=Sahrawi Republic, presidential election: Congressmembers' votes Ghali (POLISARIO, left-wing to centre-left): 1,253 Mustafa Sayed (POLISARIO, left-wing to centre-left): 563 Invalid votes: 54 Absentees: 227 ➤ https://africaelects.com/sadr #CongresoPolisario16|date=20 January 2023|access-date=24 January 2023}} At this time, Ghali's vote percentage was the lowest of any winning Sahrawi presidential candidate, while Mustafa Sayed's was the highest for any non-winning candidate.
References
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{{s-ttl|title=President of the Sahrawi Republic|years=2016–present}}
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{{POLISARIO Front}}
{{Presidents of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic}}
{{Heads of state of republics}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghali, Brahim}}
Category:Ambassadors of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic to Algeria
Category:African democratic socialists
Category:Polisario Front politicians
Category:Presidents of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic