Guterres Calls for Urgent Action to Resolve the Sahara Issue Before Regional Crisis Escalates
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in his recent report to the General Assembly, emphasized the importance of finding an urgent political solution to the issue of Western Sahara, warning of the dangers posed by the current situation to stability in North Africa and the Sahel region.
Guterres stated that the solution must be just, durable, and acceptable to all parties, ensuring Morocco’s right to sovereignty over its territory, in accordance with the UN resolutions agreed upon for decades and consistent with Security Council decisions regarding the matter. He stressed that the passage of fifty years since the onset of the conflict amplifies the urgency for immediate action to finally resolve this issue.
In this context, the Secretary-General pointed out that the United Nations continues to encourage direct and constructive dialogue between Morocco and the Polisario Front, while emphasizing the need to accelerate international mediation efforts to achieve a sustainable political solution that curtails any potential tensions in the region.
In turn, a number of UN officials underscored that the success of any solution is contingent on the full commitment of all parties to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco, which will maintain security and stability in the region and serve the interests of Morocco and its regional and international partners.
Guterres’s recent international stance reflects the support of the international community for Morocco’s endeavors to find a final political settlement to the Sahara issue, thereby fostering peace, stability, and development in North Africa and the Maghreb region.
