Duke Buchan III, the United States ambassador to Morocco, said he discussed the Sahara peace process with Alexander Ivanko, head of United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Sahara, stressing that recent violence by the Polisario Front has drawn “resounding international condemnation.”
In a statement published on X, the US ambassador to Morocco said the Polisario’s continued refusal to engage seriously in negotiations over the future of the Sahrawi people “threatens progress.”
Buchan reaffirmed that the United States remains committed to achieving peace through Morocco’s autonomy proposal, adding that “peace requires partners willing to negotiate towards a brighter future.”
Commenting on the remarks, Abdelfattah Fatihi, director of the Sahara and Africa Center for Strategic Studies, said the ambassador’s message reflected “clear American insistence” on the autonomy plan as the realistic political solution to the conflict, in line with recent UN Security Council resolutions.
Fatihi argued that the statement also carried an implicit warning toward the Polisario Front, accusing it of obstructing UN-led efforts and contributing to regional instability through military activities east of Morocco’s security berm and around the Tindouf camps.
For his part, Abbas El Ouardi, a professor of international law at Mohammed V University, said Buchan’s remarks underscored Washington’s desire to accelerate implementation of Morocco’s 2007 autonomy proposal.
El Ouardi added that the comments reflected what he described as a new political momentum led by the United States, which he characterized as the principal actor shaping Security Council discussions on the Sahara issue.
The statements come amid renewed diplomatic activity surrounding the conflict and growing international backing for Morocco’s autonomy proposal as a basis for a negotiated settlement.
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