UN confirms Algeria's active role in the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, insists that the Algerian government should explain its position and provide organisations such as MINURSO with the necessary clarifications about what is really happening in the Moroccan Sahara. The organisation does not understand the obscurantism with which the issue is treated. That is why Guterres recalled that Algeria's participation in the conflict is key, information that the Algerian government denies. 

In the more than 15 points in which the UN resolution is summarised, the importance of Algeria in this regional conflict was confirmed and reaffirmed in the 20 mentions of the North African country in the report. The UN Secretary-General reviewed Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2654, which mentions both Algeria and Morocco the same number of times, as well as de Mistura's interactions with senior Algerian officials during his numerous visits to Algiers. 

"Algeria is crucial to resolving the regional conflict", Antonio Guterres

In order to move towards a just, lasting and amicable political resolution of this conflict in accordance with the Security Council, the UN Secretary-General called on Algeria to develop and clarify its position as a "concerned party", in accordance with Resolution 2654 (2022). He also urged it to work with the Secretary-General's personal envoy in the Moroccan Sahara "in good faith and with the necessary political will to find a political, pragmatic, viable and lasting solution based on the idea of consensus based on Security Council resolutions of 2018". 

In his speech, Guterres drew attention to the obvious inconsistencies in Algeria's position, which attempts to disguise itself as an "observer state" while telling personal envoy Staffan de Mistura that it "expresses its deep concern at the absence of a solution", a concern that shows its categorical and direct involvement in this manufactured conflict. 

Moreover, Algeria was criticised by the UN Secretary-General for "continuing to oppose the roundtable format", in blatant defiance of Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2654, which states that roundtables are the only structure for political negotiations, a process that is exclusively under UN control. 

"Morocco reiterated its position that its 2007 autonomy proposal was the only viable outcome of a political process, and that the details would be decided through negotiations and would not be constrained by the framework outlined in the 2007 initiative. Morocco insisted that "reactivating the round tables" would be the best way forward in a political process. He added that while Morocco believed that its 2007 autonomy proposal should be the "starting point", it accepted the idea that other participants would probably present different starting points for negotiation,' the statement said. 

Nasser Bourita, Morocco's Foreign Minister, confirmed at the last meeting with De Mistura that "Morocco is always open to dialogue with the UN human rights mechanisms, both in the north and south of the country". 

The UN representative made clear that "the deterioration of relations between Algeria and Morocco is a matter of concern and continues to affect the situation in the Sahara and the search for a solution to this regional dispute", stressing that "Algeria plays an important role in the resolution of this regional dispute". 

The fact that Guterres said his personal envoy to the Moroccan Sahara was still making efforts amid regional unrest is further evidence of Algeria's primary responsibility for the persistence of the conflict. De Mistura continued: "I note the deep concern expressed about relations, and noted the assurances given by officials in Algiers and Rabat that there will be no attempt at further escalation". 

Finally, from the UN, both De Mistura and Guterres expressed concern about possible human rights violations against the families there, according to reports issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).