Paris (France), 29 November 2025 (SPS) – Member of the National Secretariat and Representative of the Frente POLISARIO at the United Nations and Coordinator with MINURSO, Dr Sidi Mohamed Omar, stressed yesterday that the greatest strength of the Sahrawi people lies in theirunwavering determination and the firmness of the legal foundation on which the Sahrawi just cause is based.
The affirmation was made during the address that he delivered at the Panel on “Responsibility of the UN, France, and Spain” during the Conference that was held as part of the 49thEuropean Coordinating Conference of Support for the Sahrawi People held in Paris, France, from 28 to 29 November.
The Sahrawi diplomat began his intervention by recalling that, when we talk about the responsibility of the United Nations towards Western Sahara and its people, it is significant to remember the key moment when the Territory was as recognized by the UN as a Non-Self-Governing Territory in 1963, underlining that the historic importance of this event consisted in the internationalization of the Sahrawi question and, in this regard, the recognition of the international responsibility of the UN towards the Sahrawi people in accordance with the General Assembly Resolution 1514 (1960) and other relevant resolutions.
He added that, despite its inbuilt imbalances and limitations, the UN remains the guardian of the international status of Western Sahara as a decolonization issue. It is this international status that underpins the right of the Sahrawipeople to self-determination and the other associated rights, including the right to legitimate resistance to occupation and the right to permanent sovereignty over natural resources.
In this regard, he indicated that this is why the strategic goal that Morocco, the occupying state, has been seeking is the“de-internationalization” of the Sahrawi question, because itknows very well that neither occupation by force nor the policy of fait accompli can give it the international legitimacy, which only the UN can grant. He added that the very intense debates that revolved around the draft resolution on the renewal of MINURSO mandate in October demonstrated clearly how the occupying state went to great lengths in its attempt to advance its colonial agenda.
Regarding Security Council Resolution 2797 (2025), the Sahrawi diplomat pointed out that, despite the legitimate reservations expressed by the Frente POLISARIO regarding the attempts to deviate from the basis established by the Security Council, the main takeaway from the resolution is theclear indication by the Security Council that any just, lawful, and lasting solution must meet three conditions:
These include (1) that the solution must be consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter; (2) it must provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, meaning that the free and genuine choice of the Sahrawi people regarding their political future is the prerequisite for any solution; and (3) it must be acceptable to the Sahrawi people and their sole and legitimate representative, the Frente POLISARIO.
He further indicated that the Moroccan occupying state persists in its aggressive colonial policy aiming at creating more facts on the ground in order to entrench and “normalise” its illegal occupation and annexation of Western Sahara at a time when the Security Council, under the influence of certain powers such as France, continues to favor the status quo.
The Sahrawi diplomat underscored, however, that the greatest strength of the Sahrawi people lies in their unwavering determination and the firmness of the legal foundation on which the Sahrawi just cause is based. In this context, he emphasized that it is extremely important to defend the international status of Western Sahara as a question of decolonization inside the UN and beyond, including the institutions that protect international law at regional and international levels.
In conclusion, the Sahrawi diplomat reiterated that the Frente POLISARIO remains ready to engage positively and constructively in the UN-led peace process in Western Sahara. To this end, the Frente POLISARIO has submitted an expanded Proposal as a generous offer and a testament to ourreadiness to “share the costs of peace” with the other party, if it has the political will to do the same, with a view to achieving a peaceful, just and lasting solution that provides for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people and restores regional peace and security.
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