ambassador UN Staffan de Mistura, bound for Western Sahara, landed this Monday. LaayouneIt will be the capital of this region for the first time since taking office at the end of 2021. De Mistura will carry out “visits and visits in the region”, although its agenda has not yet been announced. meetingsAccording to a press release from the organization, it’s a project that aims to involve all stakeholders before the Secretary-General’s report is presented to the Security Council in October.
The last time this agent tried to travel SaharaHe had to cancel the visit in 2022 due to Morocco’s refusal. Rabat controls most of this region. According to the UN, the special envoy “expects to continue the deepening of consultations with all stakeholders on hopes for a constructive advancement of negotiations”. political process in Western Sahara”. According to Moroccan media, De Mistura continued this Tuesday. Dakhla Meetings with officials (south of Western Sahara), tribal chiefs and local NGO heads.
De Mistura met the Moroccan representative in Rabat before flying to El Ayoun. United NationsConfirmed to Efe by Ömer Hilale, a diplomatic source. In addition, according to the news of the Moroccan media organ Le 360, the diplomat plans to meet in Rabat after his trip. Callus Burita, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs. In other cases, the representative has included: Mauritania, Algeria and Sahrawi refugee camps tindouf In his trips to the region, he has not endorsed any of these trips for now. In October, De Mistura will have to submit his report to Parliament Security Council On the situation of the UN’s MINURSO (United Nations Referendum Mission in Western Sahara).
Criticism of Polisario
HE Polisario Front He described it as “an abnormal situation” for UN envoys to need Morocco’s approval to visit Western Sahara. In the statement, independents The Saharawis also noted that “the military siege imposed on occupied Sahrawi cities has been tightened and more police forces have been deployed”. security In various Sahrawi cities during the visit”.
This tour of De Mistura comes a few days after Joshua Harris, head of US diplomacy for the Middle East and North Africa, visited the Tindouf refugee camps and met with Brahim Ghali, Secretary General of the Polisario Front. During the meeting, he expressed his support for the “UN political process” and his determination to find “an honorable and lasting solution for the people of Western Sahara,” according to a message posted on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter.
drone attack
Beyond the diplomatic plane, Polisario thought this deal was broken in 2020. truce and declared war Morocco. They confirm that they have attacked the Moroccan wall several times since then, but Rabat has not prevailed in this regard. Exactly last weekend, five Polisario soldiers, including a commander, were killed in combat against the Moroccan army in northern Western Sahara, as confirmed by pro-independence media in the Sahara. According to the news in the Moroccan press, which repeated this news, the soldiers were shot down by a Moroccan drone during a “successful infiltration attempt” and lost their lives.