The United Nations (UN) Security Council is set to vote on a revised United States-drafted resolution to extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, as diplomatic divisions persist over the disputed territory’s political future.
The updated American draft proposes extending the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, for a further twelve months. However, the proposal retains controversial changes, including renaming the mission to remove the explicit reference to a self-determination referendum.
Washington, acting as the designated draft penholder, softened earlier wording following strong pushback from regional stakeholders. The revised draft frames Morocco’s autonomy plan as the most feasible foundation for negotiations, rather than presenting it as the sole acceptable outcome.
The pro-independence Polisario Front has firmly rejected any diplomatic text that prejudges final settlement talks or compromises the Sahrawi people’s fundamental right to self-determination. With the mission’s existing mandate due to expire on Saturday, Security Council members must decide whether to adopt the compromise text or push for further revisions to preserve established UN conflict-resolution principles.
–ChannelAfrica/Sherwin Bryce-Pease
