Morocco has rejected a proposal to divide Western Sahara with the separatist Polisario Front, presented by the U.N. envoy, Staffan de Mistura, during a closed-door briefing to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, according to Reuters. The Polisario Front also rejected the proposal.
According to the same source, de Mistura presented this proposal as one of the solutions to end the Sahara conflict permanently. The plan suggested that the northern part of the territory would be integrated into Morocco, while the southern part would allow the Polisario Front to establish an independent state, with its northern border connected to Morocco and its southern border connected to Mauritania.
In his briefing to the Security Council, de Mistura clarified that neither Morocco nor the separatist Polisario Front accepted the proposal. He further stated that the U.N. Secretary-General should reconsider the usefulness of his role as an envoy if no progress is made within six months.
According to various international reports, the proposal was expected to be rejected, especially by the Moroccan side, particularly after growing international support for Morocco's autonomy plan as a solution to the conflict under Moroccan sovereignty in recent years. The most recent support came from France, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
Reuters highlighted that the most Morocco is willing to offer as a solution is the autonomy plan. Rabat has repeatedly stated that it cannot go beyond that and has conveyed this position to the U.N. envoy for Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, in two meetings with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
The context surrounding the Sahara issue suggests that Morocco is steadily moving towards resolving the conflict in its favor, as more countries recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the territory, including major world powers like the United States, France, and Spain.
It is also worth noting that several countries have commended Morocco’s efforts in developing the region during recent meetings of the U.N. Fourth Committee. These countries pointed out the significant development Western Sahara has seen in recent decades due to Moroccan investments.
