The UN Security Council Thwarts Algerian Maneuvers in the Moroccan Sahara Issue
The UN Security Council is preparing to vote on the 30th of this month on a resolution draft presented by the United States, focusing on the need for Algeria to play a central role in resolving the conflict over the Sahara. The project also emphasizes the importance of building trust between Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front, and Mauritania to support UN efforts and advance the political process toward a mutually agreed solution.
UN sources reported that Algeria attempted to introduce amendments to the draft resolution, but the Security Council rejected several of these proposals. The sources noted that Algeria, in coordination with Mozambique, proposed to include a clause aimed at expanding the MINURSO’s powers to include monitoring human rights situations in the region, as well as referencing previous Security Council resolutions calling for a referendum. However, all these proposals were clearly rejected by the United States and France, which stressed the need to adhere to the resolutions issued since 2007 calling for a realistic and mutually agreed political solution.
The same sources confirmed that Algeria expressed reservations about the reference to the round tables that include Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario, preferring to call on the UN to organize direct negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front. Meanwhile, Russia and Mozambique called for the resolution draft to mention the contributions of all previous envoys, rather than just the former German envoy Horst Köhler.
The American project provides for an extension of the MINURSO mandate for another year until October 30, 2025, emphasizing the importance of supporting the personal envoy of the Secretary-General in activating political dialogue and building on the momentum created by Horst Köhler during his tenure. The text mentions “Morocco” and “the Polisario” six times, compared to five references to Algeria and four to Mauritania, reflecting the Security Council’s orientation toward involving Algeria as a concerned party in the settlement process.
The resolution project also calls for praising the results of the round tables held in December 2018 and March 2019, and stresses the importance of the four parties’ continued commitment to the political process without preconditions, referring to Algeria, which refuses to participate in these round tables and insists on opening direct negotiations.
In the context of ongoing discussions, the resolution draft does not include any reference to the proposal to divide the Sahara put forward by the personal envoy Stefan de Mistura on October 16, which was rejected by both Morocco and the Polisario, and the text also ignored the remarks made by De Mistura regarding the Moroccan autonomy proposal, merely “taking note” of the Moroccan proposal submitted in 2007 and praising the Kingdom’s “serious and credible” efforts to advance the political process, before mentioning the Polisario proposal without further comment.
The resolution project views reaching a just and lasting political solution to the conflict as essential for enhancing regional cooperation within the Arab Maghreb Union and supporting stability in the Sahel region. It also commends the efforts of the UN personal envoy through his informal consultations held in March 2023 with the parties and involved countries, including France, Russia, and Spain, while neglecting to mention the meetings De Mistura held in September on the sidelines of the General Assembly, reflecting some disparities in dealing with various diplomatic dialogue stages.
The Security Council is expected to meet tomorrow, Wednesday, to vote on this new resolution, which will reaffirm once again the necessity for all parties to commit to the UN efforts to reach a realistic and mutually agreed political solution to this regional conflict.
