In the tense climate of international relations, the recent decision of the United Nations Security Council to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for an additional year has elicited mixed reactions among Council members. Indeed, during the vote on 31 October, Russia and Mozambique chose to abstain, while Algeria decided not to participate in the vote.
This decision comes in a context where Algeria had proposed two amendments aimed at supporting a political solution to the conflict, but these were not retained in the final resolution. The US representative, Robert A. Wood, stressed the Council’s commitment to support the Personal Envoy in his quest for a lasting and dignified resolution for Western Sahara.
Algeria’s Permanent Ambassador to the UN, Amar Bendjama, criticized the process, expressing disappointment that his country’s views were not taken into account in the final resolution. He explained that Algeria had abstained in response to these omissions.
For his part, Mozambique’s Ambassador to the UN, Pedro Comissário, expressed similar concerns, stressing that the resolution in its current form, without the amendments proposed by Algeria, would not contribute to helping the parties reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzya also expressed his reservations, saying that the resolution did not reflect the reality on the ground and risked not promoting a mutually acceptable resolution of the conflict. He regretted that Russia’s recommendations to relaunch peace efforts had not been taken into account.
The Council’s decision to renew MINURSO’s mandate for an additional year underlines once again the complexity and sensitivity of the Western Sahara issue. It remains to be hoped that the parties involved will find a way towards a peaceful and lasting solution to this conflict that has lasted for too long.
In a context where international issues are increasingly complex, the question of Western Sahara remains a major challenge for global diplomacy. It is crucial that the different parties take into account the concerns and recommendations of all the actors involved in order to reach a mutually acceptable and beneficial solution for the entire region.