The Sahara File is Closed… and the United Nations Raises the White Flag
By Najiba Jlal
Here we are at the long-awaited moment: the moment of revelation, the fall of masks, and the raising of the white flag by those who have been maneuvering in the name of "international legitimacy."
The United Nations’ decision to reduce its staff presence concerning the Sahara issue, starting with the Refugee Agency in Tindouf, passing through Laayoune, and concluding with its office in Rabat, is not a mere administrative response to financial pressures as is being suggested. Rather, it is a field declaration of the end of its role in a dispute that has long since lost its international compass.
The United Nations is leaving because the file is beyond its control. Simply put: the world no longer trusts the organization’s ability to produce a solution, and Morocco has imposed the only viable realistic solution.
For decades, MINURSO has been marketed as a lifesaver for stalled diplomacy. Today, this lifeline is being quietly cut amidst an astonishing silence from Algeria and its allies, as if they have realized they lost the battle without a fight.
Since the U.S. recognized the Moroccan nature of the Sahara, followed by France, Brazil, and, most recently, the UK, separatists have been left with nothing but the illusions of old rhetoric. In reality, maps are changing, embassies are opening, and projects are being implemented in Dakhla and Laayoune, funded by countries that only invest their money where legitimate sovereignty exists.
Algeria, observing this transformation with confusion, preferred to recall its ambassador in London for consultations, attempting to absorb the shock of a third permanent member of the Security Council recognizing the autonomy initiative. This clear and precise British position has left no room for ambiguity, placing Algeria against the wall of truth: its fragmentation project is crumbling under the weight of reality.
Let’s be frank: there is no longer a dispute. There is only a regime obsessed with propaganda seeking internal relief by clinging to an expired file. Today, Algeria is not only isolated on the file, but is also exposed before its people and the world: it has spent billions on a fictitious entity and has reaped only disappointment, a diminished role, and a shrunken credibility.
As for the United Nations, we do not mourn its exit. In its later years, it became more of a burden than a benefit. Its reports are gray, its envoys walk on the ice of artificial balance, and its budget is being drained without results. Morocco understood this early on and decided to bet on the ground, not on paper. And the ground does not lie.
What’s the conclusion?
The Sahara file is being closed because the world is tired of waiting. The Sahara file is being closed because Morocco has imposed a legitimate status quo with the strength of legitimacy, initiative, and clarity. The Sahara file is being closed because the United Nations, after fifty years of circling, has returned to square one… while Morocco, backed by history, has already surpassed all points.
The time for trading in the dispute has ended. Those who still bet on the Tindouf card should read carefully between the lines of the latest UN decision: your withdrawal is not a matter of austerity… but a late acknowledgment of the victory of the Moroccan cause.
