The Security Council is expected to renew in October the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and release its annual report on the area, amid few political developments last year and divergent unfoldings in regional dynamics.
The Special Representative for Western Sahara and head of MINURSO, Alexander Ivanko, and the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura are expected to brief Council members on the Secretary-General’s annual report on the situation concerning Western Sahara, ahead of the mandate renewal, which expires on 31 October.
Four working sessions and meetings on the conflict are scheduled for October 3, 10, 17, and 27, under the Gabonese Presidency.
Latest developments
Since being appointed as the Personal Envoy in November 2021—following a nearly two-and-a-half-year gap in the UN position—De Mistura finished this year his second regional trip where he promised to “constructively advance the political process.”
De Mistura met Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Rabat on July 5. The Envoy had scheduled to visit Laayoune in Morocco-administered Western Sahara but canceled his journey without explanation.
In September, De Mistura returned to the region to consult with additional stakeholders. He traveled to Tindouf, Algeria, on September 2, to tour the Tindouf refugee camps and meet with Polisario Front Secretary-General Brahim Ghali.
He then traveled to Algiers on September 5 to meet with Algerian authorities, and then to Nouakchott on September 10 to speak with Mauritanian authorities. De Mistura met Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Rabat on July 5.
Regional developments in recent months include Algeria cutting diplomatic ties with Morocco. Spain changed its long-standing neutrality policy and supported in March Morocco’s plan for the region’s autonomy.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI urged the country’s allies to “clarify” their stance on Western Sahara “in an unequivocal manner.”
After Tunisia invited Ghali to the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-8), which took place on August 27 and 28, Morocco recalled its ambassador to Tunisia on August 26. Tunisia recalled its ambassador to Rabat on August 27.
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