In his annual report to the UN Security Council on the Western Sahara situation, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres notes a strengthening of international support for Morocco’s autonomy plan and expresses concern over escalating military provocations by the Polisario Front.
The document, covering the period from July 2024 to June 2025, confirms that the option of a self-determination referendum is no longer being considered by the United Nations. However, Guterres highlights explicit backing from France and the United Kingdom for Morocco’s plan, deemed “the most credible, viable, and pragmatic basis” for achieving a durable political solution. Paris had already communicated this stance in July 2024 through a letter from Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI, while London expressed a similar position in June 2025.
The report also points to a “continuous deterioration” of the security situation. According to the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), several rockets were fired in recent months near Mahbas and Smara, some dangerously close to civilian areas or UN mission facilities. The UN confirms these launches, attributed to the Polisario, and notes that formal warnings have been issued to the separatist movement.
In parallel, Guterres notes a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Tindouf refugee camps in Algeria. Funding cuts by donors have led to reduced food rations, raising acute malnutrition to nearly 13% and stunting rates to over 30%. The report underlines that Algerian authorities have mobilized funds to partially offset these shortages, yet the UN estimates that an additional €104 million will be required in 2025 to meet needs.
Amid this context, the Secretary-General calls on “all concerned parties” to adjust their positions and promptly revive a political process. As the fiftieth anniversary of the conflict approaches, Guterres stresses the urgency of reaching a negotiated solution to prevent an “untenable” escalation in a region already destabilised by other crises in the Sahel and the Mediterranean.
MK/ac/lb/as/APA