New York – An-Africa
The Polisario Front, the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, has called for adherence to the principles of neutrality, integrity and independence in the work of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, warning that it may reconsider the extent of its cooperation with him if what it described as departures from the terms of his mandate are repeated.
The Front’s position was set out in a press statement issued on October 12, 2026, by its representative to the United Nations and coordinator with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Ambassador Sidi Mohamed Ammar. The statement followed a meeting with Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and came after a letter sent by Ibrahim Ghali, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The statement addressed remarks made by de Mistura during closed Security Council consultations on MINURSO on October 8. The Front expressed reservations about what it considered an endorsement of the “autonomy” proposal as a basis for future discussions, arguing that this position was consistent with Morocco’s stance on Western Sahara.
In this context, the Polisario Front referred to two letters it had sent to the UN Secretary-General on March 4 and September 21, 2026, calling for the Personal Envoy to carry out his duties within the framework of the UN Charter, relevant UN resolutions and the rules of international law applicable to Western Sahara as a decolonization issue.
The Front expressed concern over what it described as a departure from the principles governing UN mediation, arguing that repeated deviations could raise questions about the envoy’s neutrality and independence and undermine the trust necessary for his efforts to continue. It stressed that repeated departures from these principles could prompt it to reconsider its engagement and cooperation with him within the UN-led peace process.
At the same time, the Polisario Front reaffirmed its commitment to cooperating with the UN Secretary-General’s efforts within the political process aimed at decolonizing Western Sahara, according to the statement.
The position comes as Western Sahara remains the focus of renewed UN activity in October. The UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee, which deals with Special Political and Decolonization matters, has heard interventions addressing the situation in the territory and the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, as part of the broader UN discussions on decolonization. This coincides with the anticipated Security Council vote on October 31 on a draft resolution to renew MINURSO’s mandate. The vote is significant for determining the framework for the mission’s work and its role in the coming period, amid differing positions among the parties on the foundations of a political settlement and the mechanisms for resuming the UN-led process.
