The United Nations envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, has arrived at a Sahrawi refugee camp in Algeria to hold talks with the Polisario Front, a group advocating for the region’s independence. According to Sahrawi media, de Mistura is scheduled to meet with Polisario leader Brahim Ghali during his visit, as reported by the official Sahrawi press agency SPS.
The talks take place ahead of de Mistura’s upcoming briefing to the UN Security Council on October 16, Algerian news outlet APS noted. His visit comes amid renewed tensions over the fate of Western Sahara, a territory mostly controlled by Morocco but claimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which has fought for its independence since the former colonial power, Spain, withdrew in 1975.
The UN has maintained a peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara since 1991, with the goal of facilitating a referendum on the territory’s future. However, despite the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 690, Morocco has consistently opposed any referendum that includes the option of independence.
The long-standing conflict has contributed to strained relations between Algeria and Morocco, with Algeria severing diplomatic ties with its North African neighbour in 2021, partly due to disagreements over Western Sahara.