Brahim Ghali (born 19 August 1949) is a Sahrawi political and military figure who has served as the President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Secretary-General of the Polisario Front since 2016. A long-standing veteran of the Sahrawi independence movement, Ghali has been a central actor in the Western Sahara conflict against Morocco, advocating for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people through both military and diplomatic channels. Born in Smara, in what was then Spanish Sahara, Ghali came of age during the final decades of Spanish colonial rule. In the late 1960s, he joined the Spanish-led nomadic forces, where he served as an administrative officer. His political trajectory shifted toward anti-colonial activism as he became involved with other Sahrawi nationalists, including Mohamed Bassiri. In 1969, Ghali helped establish the Movement for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Wadi el-Dhahab (AOLS). He gained prominence for his participation in the Zemla Intifada on 16 June 1970, a seminal demonstration in El Aaiún against Spanish colonial authority, which resulted in his arrest and subsequent imprisonment. Following his release, Ghali was among the founding members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro (Polisario Front), which was established on 10 May 1973. At the movement’s constitutive congress, he was elected its first Secretary-General. Shortly thereafter, he played a direct role in the group’s initial military operations, co-leading the raid on the Spanish Army outpost at El-Khanga, which is widely cited as the first armed action of the Polisario Front. In 1974, after El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed assumed the role of Secretary-General, Ghali was appointed commander of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army, directing the movement's military efforts during the subsequent conflict with Morocco and Mauritania. Following the proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in 1976, Ghali held several high-ranking positions. He served as the Minister of Defense from 1976 until 1989 and later commanded the Second Military Region. His career also transitioned into the diplomatic sphere, where he served as the Sahrawi ambassador to Spain from 1999 to 2008 and later as the ambassador to Algeria. In July 2016, following the death of longtime leader Mohamed Abdelaziz, Ghali was elected as the new Secretary-General of the Polisario Front and President of the SADR. His tenure has been marked by a return to open conflict; in 2020, following a breakdown in the 1991 ceasefire, Ghali announced the resumption of armed struggle against Moroccan forces, citing Moroccan military activity in the buffer zone of Guerguerat. Ghali’s leadership has also been defined by international controversy and legal challenges. In 2021, his medical evacuation to Spain for COVID-19 treatment triggered a major diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco, as Rabat protested Madrid’s decision to host him. During his stay in Spain, Ghali faced legal scrutiny regarding past allegations of torture, kidnapping, and crimes against humanity, which had been filed by dissident groups and human rights organizations. However, Spanish courts eventually dismissed these cases, citing a lack of evidence and issues regarding the expiration of statute of limitations for the alleged crimes. Ghali remains a polarizing figure, viewed by supporters as a symbol of Sahrawi resistance and independence, and by critics and the Moroccan government as a military leader responsible for the prolonged conflict and human rights violations. He was re-elected to his positions within the Polisario Front in 2023.