Security concerns dominate meeting between UN Under-Secretary and Polisario representative

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacebuilding Rosemary DiCarlo met Tuesday with Sid Mohamed Amar, the Polisario Front’s representative to the MINURSO mission, to discuss ongoing security violations that have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the UN peacekeeping efforts in the Sahara.

 Among the violations addressed were recent incidents in which Polisario Front forces blocked MINURSO trucks from accessing the Guerguerat buffer zone, actions described as direct interference with the UN mission and a clear challenge to relevant Security Council resolutions.

Informed sources stated that the meeting also focused on the political process concerning the territorial dispute over the Sahara. 

The discussions occurred just days after a closed-door session by the UN Security Council, where UN Special Envoy for the Sahara Staffan de Mistura and MINURSO head Alexander Ivanko gave separate briefings on the situation.

De Mistura reported on his latest efforts to revive the political process, while Ivanko provided an update on the ground situation in the southern regions, detailing the UN mission’s ongoing efforts to monitor the ceasefire agreement.

This encounter underscores the ongoing challenges in reaching a peaceful resolution to the regional conflict, with both the UN and concerned parties continuing to grapple with disruptions and violations that hinder the peacekeeping mission’s work.