United Nations Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, concluded his visit to the Tindouf camps on Saturday, wrapping up a regional tour aimed at reviving the stalled political process surrounding the long-running territorial dispute.
The visit follows earlier consultations in Morocco and Mauritania, ahead of a scheduled April 14 briefing before the UN Security Council, where De Mistura will report on developments and outline efforts to reinvigorate UN-led negotiations.
During his stop in Tindouf, De Mistura met with the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, who appeared in symbolic military attire—a gesture interpreted by analysts as a continuation of the Front’s hardline stance.
Ghali reiterated demands for what the group calls “independence,” while rejecting participation in negotiations based on the roundtable format endorsed by the UN Security Council, which includes Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario.
According to media outlets aligned with the separatist movement, the Polisario insists on returning to direct negotiations with Morocco, a position at odds with repeated Security Council resolutions calling for a realistic, pragmatic, and mutually acceptable political solution.
Despite De Mistura’s emphasis on the importance of calm, the preservation of the ceasefire, and the need to ensure MINURSO’s operational effectiveness, Ghali accused certain international powers—implicitly the United States and France—of bias in favor of Morocco, claiming they obstruct political settlement efforts.
The UN envoy reiterated the necessity of constructive engagement from all parties, urging the Polisario to create conducive conditions for renewed talks under UN auspices, reaffirming the legitimacy of the roundtable format as the path forward.
Observers note that the Polisario’s continued rhetorical intransigence stands in stark contrast to the UN’s calls for compromise and the development-driven stability in Morocco’s southern provinces. This raises questions about the separatist group’s genuine commitment to the UN peace process.
De Mistura’s visit to Tindouf is part of his preparations for next month’s Security Council session, which will also include a field assessment from MINURSO head Alexander Ivanko, focusing on the current security environment and obstacles to progress.
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