The United Nations envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, has floated the idea of dividing the territory between Morocco and the Polisario Front as a solution to the conflict that has been going on for nearly five decades, according to statements seen by Reuters.
The long-frozen conflict, dating back to 1975, pits Morocco, which considers Western Sahara its own territory, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks a separate state.
Morocco says autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the most it can offer as a political solution to the conflict, while the armed Polisario Front insists on holding a referendum with independence as an option.
In a briefing to the Security Council behind closed doors on Wednesday, de Mistura, a veteran Italian diplomat, said that partition “could allow the creation of an independent state in the southern part on the one hand, and on the other hand the incorporation of the rest of the territory as part of Morocco, with international recognition of its sovereignty over it.” .
De Mistura said the UN Secretary-General must reconsider the feasibility of his role as envoy if no progress is made within six months.
In its resolutions, the UN Security Council called on the parties to work together to reach a mutually acceptable political solution to the conflict, while describing the Moroccan autonomy plan as “serious and credible.”
As the Moroccan autonomy plan gained momentum, de Mistura on Wednesday urged Rabat to “explain and expand” its proposal.
In July, France became the second permanent member of the Security Council after the United States to support Moroccan sovereignty over the region. Algeria responded to the French position by recalling its ambassador to Paris.
Spain, the former colonial power in Western Sahara, announced in 2022 that it supports Morocco’s autonomy plan.
The Arab monarchies and Israel also support Morocco’s sovereignty over the region, as 29 countries, most of them African and Arab, have opened consulates in what Rabat considers tangible support.
The Polisario Front withdrew in 2020 from a UN-brokered truce. But the conflict remains low-intensity.
