Mustapha BERRAF, President of ANOCA: A Stance at Odds with His Own Country’s Historic Commitment?

ANOCA: Betrayed Inclusion, Credibility Adrift, Complicit Silence – Ethics and Integrity Trampled, the Shame of a Silent Africa

While Algeria has for decades stood among the most unwavering supporters of the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination, the conduct of one of its nationals occupying one of the highest positions in African sport raises serious questions. Mustapha BERRAF, current President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), maintains a persistent silence in the face of the manifest exclusion of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) from the continent’s sporting activities.

This attitude is in total contradiction with Algerian diplomacy, African solidarity, and the fundamental principles of Olympism. Confronted with this deeply meaningful dissonance, the World Organization for Anti-Corruption and Crime Prevention (OMSAC) sounds the alarm and appeals to African conscience. For in this matter, silence is not neutral: it becomes complicity that undermines the values of justice, fairness, and respect for peoples.

The World Organization for Anti-Corruption and Crime Prevention (OMSAC)expresses its utmost concern and deep indignation at the intolerable silence of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) regarding the unjustified and ongoing exclusion of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) from African sporting activities.

Three Letters Ignored: Contempt as a Method of Governance OMSAC has officially contacted ANOCA’s leadership on three occasions:

• On April 28 and May 15, 2025, through two letters addressed to Secretary General Ahmed Abou Elgasim Hashim;

• On June 10, 2025, through a letter addressed to President Mustapha BERRAF.

  
  

To date, no response – not even an acknowledgment of receipt – has been issued. This silence constitutes an affront to the values of transparency, accountability, and justice upheld by the Olympic movement.

African Olympism Betrayed: A People Excluded, A Youth ForgottenThis lack of response is not merely an administrative oversight. It represents the deliberate exclusion of an entire youth – Sahrawi youth – deprived of their fundamental right to engage in sport within a continental framework.

In Africa, only the children of the SADR are currently fully excluded from the mechanisms of continental sports integration. This shameful reality contradicts the commitment of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which actively supports the participation of oppressed peoples, including those under UN mandate.

ANOCA’s Silence Questions the African Union and Its Member StatesThe African Union and all its member states – particularly Algeria – cannot ignore this indefensible behavior. OMSAC calls on these institutions to formally question the President of ANOCA, Mr. Mustapha BERRAF, and to demand clear explanations regarding the exclusion of the SADR.

The BERRAF Case: An Algerian President in Contradiction with His Country’s Diplomacy?The behavior of Mr. Mustapha BERRAF, an Algerian national, stands in blatant contradiction with Algeria’s long-standing position, which for over 45 years has championed the rights of the Sahrawi people within the African Union, the United Nations, and international institutions.

This discrepancy raises a question of national coherence: how can an Algerian citizen holding such a strategic position undermine the cause that his own country has consistently and vigorously defended?

OMSAC expresses the hope that the Algerian authorities – true to their historic commitment to the Sahrawi cause – will take appropriate measures to ensure that the conduct of their national at the head of ANOCA remains fully aligned with the principles of Algerian diplomacy and the values of African solidarity.

Suspicious Ties with the Enemies of the Sahrawi PeopleEven more troubling, several credible sources within the African sports movement claim that President BERRAF and his Secretary General maintain close personal ties with state actors hostile to the recognition of the SADR.

If confirmed, such information would represent a serious moral betrayal of the values of solidarity and continental sovereignty. It would amount to active complicity in the political and sporting isolation of the Sahrawi people.

Ultimatum and Upcoming ActionsIn light of this situation, OMSAC grants ANOCA’s leadership a final deadline of five working days from the publication of this statement to respond publicly and officially to the following questions:

1. Why is the SADR excluded from competitions and sporting activities in Africa organized under the auspices of ANOCA and other African sports federations?

2. Is ANOCA subject to foreign pressure or influence aimed at marginalizing Sahrawi youth?

3. What immediate guarantees does ANOCA intend to provide to young Sahrawi athletes to ensure their integration into continental sports structures?

Failing a response, OMSAC will launch an international awareness and mobilization campaign and will refer the matter to the following bodies:

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC),

• The African Union and its member states,

• The United Nations (UN),

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,

• The relevant international courts, to open an independent investigation into ANOCA’s governance and the personal ties of its leadership.

  
  

Conclusion: Do Not Let Sahrawi Youth Be Forgotten by HistoryOMSAC reiterates that sport is a right, not a privilege. It is a fundamental pillar of development, peace, and the recognition of peoples. Sahrawi youth have the right to exist, to dream, to participate. They will not be the forgotten of history or of African Olympism.

We call on all African consciences, sports movements, youth organizations, and states faithful to justice to mobilize to end this unworthy exclusion and to amplify the voice of a people whom some are trying to silence.

Africa must remain faithful to its principles. And those who betray them must be held accountable.

R. SCHLEKER

Department of Integrity & Investigations – OMSAC