Rabat – The UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, has arrived in Laayoune as part of his regional tour to hold talks with all parties to the Western Sahara dispute.
The UN issued a statement on Monday, noting that de Mistura arrived in Laayoune, in southern Morocco as part of his mission to deepen consultations with all concerned parties to the dispute.
“Thereafter, he is looking forward to conducting visits in the region and meetings, engaging all concerned ahead of the issuance of the report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council in October,” the UN notice said.
The statement also reaffirmed the UN envoy’s determination to continue to deepen consultations with the parties to the dispute with the aim of advancing the political process to find a mutually acceptable and an agreed-upon political solution.
“He is planning to report on his visits and engagements to the Secretary-General as well as to the Security Council in October,” the UN statement concluded.
The regional tour comes prior to the issuing of the UN annual report on the situation in Western Sahara by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The report briefs the international community on the developments in the dispute, while listing a series of recommendations seeking to advance the UN-led political process.
The envoy’s regional tour comes amid reluctance from both the Polisario Front — a separatist group claiming independence in Western Sahara— and its supporter Algeria to engage in the process.
For years, Algeria’s regime has refused to shoulder responsibility in the dispute, claiming itself to be merely an observer rather than a full-fledged party to the territorial conflict.
These claims continue despite Algeria’s full involvement in financing, hosting, arming, and supporting the separatist group.
Many resolutions, however, have challenged Algeria’s regime claims, including Resolution 2654 of October 2022, which clearly and strongly encouraged all parties — Morocco, Polisario, Algeria, and Mauritania to engage with the Personal envoy throughout the duration of the process, “in a spirit of realism and compromise to ensure a successful outcome.
Algeria, however, continues to reject the texts, describing the resolutions calling for its full engagement in the political process as an “unbalanced approach.”
