The United Nations envoy for Western Sahara has urged the Security Council to seize what he described as a window of opportunity to make progress in ending the protracted dispute over the mineral-rich territory.
Speaking during a closed-door session on Monday, Staffan de Mistura told Council members that the coming three months could prove crucial in both easing regional tensions and reviving negotiations aimed at resolving the Western Sahara conflict.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony abundant in natural resources, is largely controlled by Morocco but has long been claimed by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which receives backing from neighbouring Algeria.
De Mistura referenced a recent visit to Algeria by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, which included high-level meetings with Algerian officials. That trip appeared to ease diplomatic friction that arose after French President Emmanuel Macron publicly endorsed the notion of granting the territory autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.
However, new tensions have emerged since that diplomatic engagement. On Monday, Algeria reaffirmed the expulsion of a dozen French officials, following the recent arrest of an Algerian consular official in France — a move likely to reignite diplomatic strain.
The UN continues to regard Western Sahara as a “non-self-governing territory” and has maintained a peacekeeping mission there since 1991. The mission’s principal objective is to facilitate a long-delayed referendum to determine the territory’s final status.
In 2020, then-US President Donald Trump recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara as part of a broader diplomatic agreement that saw Morocco normalise relations with Israel — a move that was widely seen as a diplomatic victory for both Rabat and Washington.
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed this position during talks with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, further deepening American support for Rabat’s claim. The announcement drew sharp criticism from Algeria, which has long opposed Morocco’s control over the territory.
Relations between Algeria and Morocco remain frozen, with Algiers severing diplomatic ties with Rabat in 2021 amid a series of escalating tensions.