Sahara: details of the closed Security Council briefing on the conflict
As required by Council Resolution 2654, which was enacted on October 27, the UN Security Council held private deliberations in New York regarding the Moroccan Sahara issue.
Staffan de Mistura, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of MINURSO, and Alexander Ivanko, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Sahara, informed the Security Council members on Wednesday.
The Moroccan autonomy offer was well-received and supported by a sizeable number of Security Council members, according to trustworthy sources at the UN who talked to the state agency MAP.
The idea is viewed as a realistic and reliable way to end the regional conflict over the Sahara. Resolution 2654 and all earlier decisions since 2007 have acknowledged the superiority of the Moroccan autonomy agenda.
The Security Council members reaffirmed their support for the UN’s solely political procedure, which aims to find a workable resolution to the Moroccan Sahara issue, unanimously.
Additionally, they emphasized their support for Mr. de Mistura’s initiatives to restart the UN political process, which has been in place since 2007 and is outlined in Security Council resolutions. Resuming round tables with Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania as participants was underlined as the only structure for the political process.
The Personal Envoy’s organization of unofficial bilateral consultations in March at UN headquarters in New York was also recognised by the Security Council.
Algeria’s position as the dominant player in the regional dispute that it initiated and has been waging for fifty years was confirmed during consultations, especially with Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania.
In Resolution 2654 and all earlier resolutions since 2018, Algeria’s participation in the round table process was requested in an atmosphere of realism and compromise.
However, Algeria’s continued refusal to take part in the round tables violates both international law and Security Council resolutions.
The Security Council members praised the peace and prosperity in the Moroccan Sahara and cited the southern provinces of the Kingdom’s rapid development as a result of the new model of development for these regions.
During the meetings, it was also brought up that general consulates had opened in Laayoune and Dakhla and that the international community was increasingly recognizing the Moroccan identity of the Sahara.
The Security Council members also praised Morocco for its dedication to the ceasefire and for working well with MINURSO to make sure it was carried out.
The Security Council members expressed their deep worry at the Polisario’s violation of the truce, which was ordered by Algeria, and asked the separatist group to resume the ceasefire.
The Polisario’s obstruction of MINURSO’s actions to monitor the ceasefire, including its violations of the military accord and blockade of supply convoys, was also condemned by the Security Council.
The UN Secretary-General revealed the Polisario’s abhorrent abuses in his report to the Council in October, and the members of the Security Council urged an end to them.
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