Khatri Addouh (, ; born 1954) is a Sahrawi politician and diplomat who currently serves as the ambassador of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic to Algeria. He previously served as Minister of Education and Vocational Training from 2023 to 2025, and as president of the Sahrawi National Council from 2010 to 2020. Following the death of long-time president Mohamed Abdelaziz on 31 May 2016, Addouh was appointed interim president and the Secretary General of the Polisario Front.

Career

Addouh is a member of the National Secretariat of the

Polisario Front The Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro (Spanish language, Spanish: ; ), better known by its acronym Polisario Front, is a Sahrawi nationalism, Sahrawi nationalist liberation movement seeking to end the occupatio ...

. He served in the Polisario Front Orientation Department. He also served as the

Wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

of Es Semara till August 2010. He became the President of the Sahrawi National Council on 10 July 2010. He replaced

Mahfoud Ali Beiba Mahfoud Ali Beiba Hammad Dueihi (; 1953 – July 2, 2010) was a Sahrawis, Sahrawi politician and co-founder of the Polisario Front, a national liberation movement that seeks self-determination for Western Sahara. From 1975 until his death, ...

, whose death was attributed by SADR to a heart attack, while Moroccan media claimed that Beiba was assassinated to make way for Addouh. He was subsequently re-elected to the same post on 24 February 2014 and then again for a third term on 19 March 2016. Addouh became the acting president when Mohamed Abedlaziz, who was the president for 40 years since 1976 died on 31 May 2016. Addouh convened the 2300 strong delegate council at Dakhla, which elected

Brahim Ghali Brahim Ghali () (, born 19 August 1949) is a Sahrawi politician, military officer and current president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), formerly its ambassador to Algeria and Spain. Ghali played a key role in the struggle of th ...

as the new president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Addouh also heads the negotiating team of the Polisario Front in various international organisations. Addouh and his loyalists are working towards gaining an observer status at the United Nations, which will enable the Polisario Front government to stake claim as the legitimate representative of the

Sahrawi people The Sahrawis, or Sahrawi people ( '), are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Sahara desert, which includes the Western Sahara, southern Morocco, much of Mauritania, and along the southwestern border of Algeria. They are of mixed ...

. In January 2022, Addouh met with Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations Secretary‑General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, at the resumption of peace talks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Addouh, Khatri 1954 births Living people Polisario Front politicians Presidents of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Ambassadors of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic to Algeria Sahrawi diplomats