UN Secretary General's report on the Sahara highlights Morocco's diplomatic successes

The support of France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, for Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara is one of the relevant diplomatic successes of Morocco, as reflected in the latest report of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, on the Sahara.

It also includes the opening of a Chadian consulate in Dakhla, which reinforces the international recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory. Both the Polisario Front and Algeria officially protested to the UN about these developments.

Among the reactions recorded in the media and on social networks, the economist Jaf Kech, offers a summary of the report collected by numerous political and social leaders.

He notes that Guterres also mentioned King Mohammed VI's new initiative to facilitate the Sahel countries' access to the Atlantic Ocean through Moroccan infrastructure. He highlighted Morocco's continued efforts in economic development, particularly in renewable energy, infrastructure (ports, roads) and commercial activities. In contrast, Polisario rejected what it considers an “imposition of reality” on the ground.

Political process:

No significant changes in the positions of the parties involved were observed. Morocco continues to reject any negotiations outside its autonomy plan and demands Algeria's participation in the talks. Algeria, for its part, continues to deny its role as a party to the conflict, despite recent tensions with France over its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan.

Mauritania regretted the negative impact of the conflict on Maghreb integration and reaffirmed its position of “positive neutrality”. Polisario remains firm in its rejection of any solution that does not lead to a referendum on independence.

Military situation:

The report confirmed that the Polisario Front continues to launch rockets into the Moroccan Sahara, with the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) reporting 164 attacks to the UN mission (MINURSO), 75% of which were concentrated in the Mahbes region. However, MINURSO noted that most of these shells landed in uninhabited areas, causing minimal damage. This independent verification contradicts the Polisario's claims of successful attacks.

The report also noted attacks targeting civilians, particularly in Smara and Auserd, and mentioned that the Polisario did not respond to MINURSO's questions about these incidents. Morocco, for its part, has begun building new military camps in the region for the first time since 1991, with four camps around Mahbes and two others near Auserd. In addition, Morocco has carried out air strikes east of the defense wall, causing material and human casualties, according to MINURSO.

The report revealed that the Polisario has prevented MINURSO's access to the areas affected by these attacks and has refused to allow the wounded, whom they say are gold miners, to be interviewed, preventing MINURSO from confirming or denying the Polisario's claims.

Operational and logistical activities:

MINURSO conducted more than 9,000 visits to the west of the defense wall without observing any exchange of fire, again undermining Polisario's claims of daily clashes. In contrast, the Polisario continues to restrict MINURSO's movement east of the wall, allowing only one monthly deployment within a 20-kilometer radius. Helicopter flights remain prohibited by the Polisario.

A worrying development is the Royal Armed Forces report of 14 instances of enemy drones overflying their positions, suggesting that Algeria (and possibly other international actors) may have begun supplying drones to the Polisario and even operating them directly.

The MINURSO military chief met three times with the Southern Zone Chief of Staff in Agadir, and there were seven other meetings in Guelmim, Laayoune and Dakhla. However, the mission has not been able to meet with any members of the Polisario military leadership.

Summary:

• The report highlighted Morocco's diplomatic victories, especially France's support for the autonomy plan.
• It discredited Polisario's exaggerated claims about the effectiveness of its attacks against the Moroccan army.
• He revealed the construction of new military camps by Morocco. - He confirmed that the political process remains at a standstill.
• He pointed out the lack of cooperation of the Polisario with MINURSO, both in logistical and military terms.