The Bike4WesternSahara Campaign Is Complete

After more than 2.5 years of biking, over 30,000 km, across 26 countries and territories, and through more than 300 cities, we’ve officially concluded the Bike4WesternSahara campaign. It was the biggest challenge of our lives. Despite countless setbacks, obstacles, sleepless nights, breakdowns, and tears, we’re proud that we never gave up—and that we saw the campaign through to the very end.

 

When you’re riding a bike day in and day out, the mind has plenty of time to wander and come up with ideas. Somewhere in Italy, we started thinking about organizing an international solidarity summit in the camps to coincide with our arrival in January 2025. Little did we know what a challenge that would be. Everything from visa issues for participants to Algerian bureaucracy, Polisario bureaucracy, planning the program, food, accommodation, and every other logistical detail in a refugee camp—it was a massive undertaking. But we made it happen.

The first edition of the Saharawi Solidarity Summit was a resounding success. We welcomed around 70 participants from 16 countries, along with many Saharawi participants representing a range of civil society institutions. Among our honorary guests were Greta Thunberg and her friend Chris, as well as many dear friends we met along the way during our long bike journey. We had politicians from several countries, civil society organizations, activists, students—it was a powerful and beautiful ending to the campaign.

Spending three weeks in the camps reconnected us to the Saharawi struggle for liberation. There’s truly no experience like being there in person—meeting incredible people, sharing stories, and witnessing the tough living conditions firsthand. We encourage everyone who can to make it a priority to visit the camps. This is where you find authentic Saharawi culture—a culture that has survived 50 years of exil. Most of their stories never reach the outside world. Very few journalists visit, and many people around the world have still never even heard of Western Sahara.

Being back home in Sweden has been a big adjustment, but our work isn’t over. We’re continuing our activism here to build solidarity with the Saharawi people. We have several projects in the works and need your support. If you’re interested in contributing your time and energy to work with us to build solidarity, send us an email—we’d be happy to collaborate in the fight for a free Western Sahara and a world without occupation.

Send us an email at solidarityrising@gmail.com and join us in our upcoming projects and campaigns. More updates will follow

Bike4WesternSahara Refugee camps Saharawi Solidarity Summit Western Sahara