The UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, has called for renewed negotiations between Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria, and Mauritania by the end of 2025, according to the Italian news agency Agenzia Nova.
During a closed-door UN Security Council meeting on October 10 on the Sahara issue, he warned that “continued diplomatic paralysis could trigger a dangerous military drift with regional and global consequences.”
De Mistura urged a change of pace in the diplomatic process, stressing that after half a century of mediation, missions, and resolutions, now is the time to make courageous decisions and begin a new phase of negotiations based on realism and compromise.
“The Sahara issue cannot remain frozen without consequences, as the real risk is that the absence of dialogue could give way to a dangerous military drift, with repercussions across the Maghreb and beyond,” he added.
Three permanent members of the Security Council, the U.S., France, and the UK, are already backing Morocco’s proposed autonomy plan, which they view as the basis for a realistic and pragmatic political solution.
Russia and China, while maintaining a more cautious approach, indicated possible openness to dialogue, according to the same source.
The source said de Mistura acknowledged that Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan now enjoys growing international consensus but noted that the proposal needs more clarification, particularly on how it reconciles “the principle of Sahrawi self-determination with Morocco’s legitimate aspirations.”
He stressed that a proposal alone does not constitute an agreement, and the only way out of the current deadlock is through direct and genuine negotiations among the parties, without preconditions and under UN oversight.
Agenzia Nova reported that the diplomat highlighted the need for the four parties to engage in dialogue, emphasizing that “no peace process can succeed without the willingness to move beyond entrenched historical positions.”
He called on “Morocco to further elaborate its autonomy plan in writing and detail, while urging Algeria to guide the Polisario Front toward a political, rather than military, approach.”
De Mistura also highlighted, at a press briefing, Mauritania’s “positive neutrality,” stressing that Nouakchott’s involvement is crucial for the success of mediation efforts.
He reiterated that the US could play a pivotal role in advancing a solution, alongside renewed engagement from the UK and constructive participation from France, Russia, and Spain.
The envoy warned that the greatest risk now is losing momentum, which could lead to increased hardening and potential military escalation with potentially devastating consequences.
He appealed directly to the Security Council, urging the next resolution on the Sahara to mandate new negotiations by the end of 2025 and reaffirm MINURSO’s role as an essential stabilizing and mediating presence on the ground, even in a reduced format.
De Mistura concluded that the 50th anniversary of the conflict should not only be a moment of commemoration but also a turning point.
“It’s time to decide either we open the path to dialogue or we risk permanently losing the possibility of a peaceful solution,” he stressed.
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