2026 marks sixty-three years of UN engagement on Western Sahara, affirming the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. 2025 marked fifty years since the conflict in Western Sahara began, causing the ongoing plight of the Sahrawi people. More than half a century later, approximately 173,000 Sahrawi refugees remain in protracted displacement in Tindouf Camps in Algeria, facing ongoing humanitarian challenges in food, health, education, and infrastructure. Their prolonged exile underscores the urgency of renewed international engagement.

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The exhibition “50 Years, 50 Faces: The Sahrawi Exile – A Lifetime in Resilience” commemorates this milestone and honors the resilience of the Sahrawi people through fifty portraits and personal testimonies. It humanizes the ongoing humanitarian crisis, informs policymakers of current realities, reinvigorates multilateral dialogue, and reaffirms the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. By blending art, evidence, and advocacy, the exhibition engages UN visitors, policymakers, and the international community in reflection and dialogue on peace, justice, and the responsibilities of multilateral actors.

 

Aligned with UN Security Council Resolutions 2756 (2024) and 2797 (2025) , it underscores the urgent need for a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people, while highlighting gaps in protection and support under MINURSO’s limited mandate.

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The exhibition features the work of Adad Amni, a photographer dedicated to humanitarian storytelling and advocacy. Through fifty portraits and personal testimonies, the photographer captures the resilience, dignity, and everyday lives of Sahrawi refugees living in protracted exile near Tindouf, Algeria. The images combine artistic expression with evidence-based documentation, highlighting ongoing humanitarian challenges in food, health, education, and infrastructure. By presenting these works, the exhibition seeks to engage visitors, policymakers, and the wider international community in reflection and dialogue on peace, justice, and the responsibilities of multilateral actors, while amplifying the voices and lived experiences of the Sahrawi people.