Day of National Unity in Western Sahara

Date and historical roots

The date attached to National Unity Day is 12 October. A report submitted by the Sahrawi Republic to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights lists it among national days and associates it with 1975; the Sahrawi Press Service also identifies 12 October 1975 as the date of the National Unity declaration.[1][2]

The day is linked to the Ain Bentili Declaration. In an account of the 2023 commemoration, Sahrawi President Brahim Ghali described the declaration as following the establishment of the Polisario Front and the start of armed struggle. He connected national unity with the creation of Sahrawi national institutions and the later proclamation of the Sahrawi Republic.[3]

What the commemoration means

For Sahrawis, National Unity Day recalls a shared political identity and the effort to unite the people under the Polisario Front. Sahrawi accounts present the declaration as a response to a period of division and danger, and as a defining point in the national liberation movement.[2][3]

The day also reaches beyond one place. At a 2024 commemoration in the Laayoune refugee camp, speakers referred to Sahrawis in the occupied territories and to Sahrawi communities abroad celebrating the occasion. This reflects the commemorative message across a dispersed population, rather than a single local custom.[4]

How it is observed

Events reported from the refugee camps include official speeches, raising the national flag and parades by local districts, schools and civic organizations. A 2025 celebration in Auserd used parades to depict Sahrawi history, the Ain Bentili Conference and continuity between generations.[5]

The same anniversary occasion included the opening of a memorial shaped as a traditional Sahrawi tent. The report says it represents the tent where the signatories met at Ain Bentili. These are documented examples from particular celebrations; the available sources do not establish that every community holds the same events or follows a uniform programme.[6]

Public holiday and practical planning

The Sahrawi Republic’s report lists National Unity Day as a national day, but does not state whether it gives all workers a statutory day off, which services close, or whether a weekend date is transferred to another day.[1] Check schedules with banks, shops and transport providers before travelling. Residents and visitors should check locally with the relevant workplace, service provider or organizer before making plans.