United Nations, (EFE). – The United Nations Security Council on Friday renewed the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for one year, based on Morocco’s autonomy proposal.
The Council, with 11 votes in favor, 3 abstentions, and none against, extended the mission until Oct. 31, 2026.
The draft resolution calls on the parties to engage in negotiations “taking as a basis Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal, with a view to achieving a final and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara”.
In 2020, the United States President Donald Trump’s administration recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, which the UN still considers a “non-self-governing territory” awaiting decolonization.
Speaking at the Council, US ambassador Michael Waltz said, “The United States welcomes today’s historic votes, which seize upon this unique moment and build on the momentum for a long, long overdue peace in Western Sahara.”
The Algerian representative Amar Bendjama explained that while the resolution was an improvement, it “still has a number of shortcomings.”
“It is below, below, I say, of the expectations and the legitimate aspirations of the people of Western Sahara, represented by the Polisario Front,” he added.
Fu Cong, the representative of China, which abstained, said he hoped that a political solution could be reached within the UN framework for this, while the French representative, Jérôme Bonnafont, pointed out that the risks this conflict poses to the local population must not be forgotten.
The text approved on Friday calls on the parties to engage in talks “without preconditions”to achieve “a definitive and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.”
The approved text, which became the basis for negotiations, focused solely on the Moroccan proposal. It excluded other options, such as those suggested by Algeria. Algeria subsequently broke its silence on the draft and requested consultations, which took place on Tuesday afternoon, October 28th, to discuss the draft.
In 1991, the UN deployed the Mission following the so-called “Initial Settlement Plan accepted by Morocco and the Popular Front,” which envisaged a referendum in which the population of Western Sahara would have the opportunity to decide the future status of the territory, which has not been held. EFE
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