A UN delegation, consisting of high-ranking officials and peacekeeping operations experts, has concluded a field visit to Laayoune as part of a comprehensive assessment mission evaluating the performance of the MINURSO, responsible for monitoring the ceasefire in Western Sahara.
The visit, which began on Wednesday, included a series of intensive meetings with both civilian and military officials from the mission, as well as discussions with Moroccan officials. These meetings focused on various aspects related to the implementation of the UN mandate, particularly concerning the monitoring of the ceasefire and tracking developments on the ground.
The delegation also held technical discussions with UN forces’ leadership, addressing the challenges faced by the mission, both in terms of movements within the field and monitoring activities in the buffer zone, along with assessing operational readiness to respond to low-level tensions.
In this context, the delegation is expected to move to the Tindouf camps to hold meetings with various parties involved in the conflict, as well as discussions with several UN agencies, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization, to complete a comprehensive assessment of humanitarian and field conditions.
This visit is part of a process to prepare a detailed report that will be submitted to decision-making bodies within the UN, serving as a basis for discussions regarding the future mandate and operational mechanisms of the mission in light of international trends, particularly from the United States, advocating for linking the continuation of peacekeeping operations with tangible results in conflict resolution.
This evaluation comes at a time when there are increasing international calls to reconsider the effectiveness of long-term UN missions, highlighted by the US Permanent Representative to the UN during a Congressional session, who stated that the country is reviewing its strategy for the MINURSO, emphasizing the need to assess its viability after years of deployment and link it to prospects for a political solution.
