Algeria uses Oran Process forum to anchor African role as Attaf meets UN peacekeeping chief on Sahara

Algeria is using the Oran Process forum on peace and security to anchor its role in Africa, convening the twelfth session in Oran as foreign minister Ahmed Attaf met United Nations under secretary general for peace operations Jean Pierre Lacroix for talks that included the Moroccan Sahara file, according to the Algerian foreign ministry and Moroccan analysts.

The meeting in Algiers came on the eve of the Oran Process session on 1 and 2 December, a platform Algeria promotes as a space for coordinating African positions at the Security Council.

The foreign ministry said Attaf and Lacroix reviewed security challenges facing the continent, their impact on UN peacekeeping mandates and the future of missions deployed in Africa.

Lacroix oversees all UN peace operations worldwide, including the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, and is responsible for monitoring field constraints, mission performance and reporting to the secretary general.

While the political track on the Moroccan Sahara is handled by the personal envoy Staffan de Mistura, the Algiers talks form part of the operational follow up on MINURSO’s deployment and working environment.

Aba Ali Aba Sheikh, member of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs, said Algeria is seeking to place itself at the centre of discussions on MINURSO by capitalising on Lacroix’s presence in Oran, even though it is not a significant contributor to UN peacekeeping contingents, while Morocco figures among the main contributors, particularly in Africa.

He linked the encounter to broader financial pressures on UN operations after reductions in support from key funders and the resulting downsizing of several missions.

Aba Sheikh said the meeting offers a moment to reassess MINURSO’s performance under financial and political constraints, including restrictions on its freedom of movement in areas controlled by the Polisario Front and the impact on ceasefire monitoring.

He added that Lacroix is seeking to obtain Algerian pressure on the Polisario to respect commitments and to open the way for serious negotiations on the Moroccan autonomy initiative.

Public law scholar Cheikh Boussaid viewed Algeria’s hosting of the Oran Process with Lacroix in attendance as a response to Morocco’s recent security diplomacy, including its organisation of the Interpol General Assembly in Marrakech, and as an attempt to counterbalance Morocco’s gains after the latest Security Council resolution and wider support for the autonomy proposal.