Consejo de Seguridad renueva por un año su misión en el Sáhara Occidental

photo_camera Security Council renews for one year its mission in Western Sahara

The UN Security Council renewed this Friday for another 12 months its mission in Western Sahara (Minurso) with calls for "the urgent appointment" of a new personal envoy of the Secretary General, to replace Hort Köler, who left his post 17 months ago.

With 13 votes in favor and two abstentions, the proposed draft, as is customary in the United States, went ahead without substantial changes from previous resolutions.

Germany was satisfied with the renewal of the mission, which it described as an "instrument to build confidence in the conflict in Western Sahara", and underlined that "it is urgent to appoint a new envoy of the Secretary General as soon as possible".

For its part, the United States also expressed its concern about "the prolonged absence of a personal envoy" for the conflict and underlined that it shares with other members of the Council "its frustration at the lack of progress on the political front" which it attributes precisely to the lack of a UN representative to speak with the parties.

Rabat proposes the creation of an autonomous region, a plan that has the backing of Washington, which this Friday again described it as "serious, credible and realistic, While the Polisario Front defends that Minurso should conclude the main objective of its mission, which is the organization of a referendum of self-determination for the Saharawi people.

El Consejo de Seguridad de Naciones Unidas prolonga la misión en el Sáhara Occidental

Before the discussion of the approved resolution, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, presented a report on the situation in Western Sahara on September 23, in which he insisted on his conviction that "a solution to the question of Western Sahara is possible despite the pause in the political process since the resignation" of the personal envoy, Horst Köler in May 2019.

Guterres expressed concern about the "growing separation" between the parties since then and stressed that "the continuing lack of trust between them has been exacerbated by assertive acts and symbolic gestures in the territory that could potentially undermine the ceasefire and serve as a source of increased tension.

He also insisted on his call for the parties to "respect, protect and promote the human rights of all people in Western Sahara", an issue not included in Minurso's mission but which is continually being stressed by fundamental rights organizations.

On 22 October, the NGO Amnesty International (AI) again insisted that "effective human rights monitoring must be a central component of UN peacekeeping forces in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara and in the Saharawi camps in Algeria". 

This issue has been raised for years at each extension of the mission, but Morocco - traditionally supported by France as a permanent member of the Council - has always opposed the measure.

El Consejo de Seguridad de Naciones Unidas prolonga la misión en el Sáhara Occidental

In his latest report, Guterres also called on the Polisario Front and the Moroccan authorities to cooperate with the UN Office for the Defense of Human Rights (OCHA) by facilitating visits to the region.

"OCHA's lack of access to Western Sahara continues to cause a fundamental flaw in the monitoring of human rights in the territory. Human rights defenders, researchers, lawyers and representatives of international non-governmental organizations also continue to experience similar restrictions," the UN Secretary-General's document says.
 

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