New York (United Nations), 14 October 2026 (SPS) – Algeria has reaffirmed that Western Sahara remains an unfinished decolonization issue, stressing that any solution to the conflict must be based on international legitimacy and guarantee the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination.
The position was expressed by Algeria's representative on Wednesday before the Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, which deals with special political issues and decolonization.
The Algerian diplomat stressed that Western Sahara's legal status is firmly established within the UN framework through General Assembly resolutions and the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion. He cited resolutions 1514 and 1541, which affirm that the political status of any territory must be determined by the free will of its people.
He emphasized that this principle lies at the heart of genuine decolonization and distinguishes between imposing decisions on peoples and enabling them to freely determine their future.
Addressing the political process, the Algerian representative welcomed the resumption of direct negotiations earlier this year between the two parties to the conflict, Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO, under the joint auspices of the United Nations and the United States. Algeria and Mauritania participated as observers, given their interest as neighbouring countries in restoring peace, stability and understanding in the region.
However, he expressed concern over developments surrounding the Western Sahara issue, describing them as the result of what he called a “shameful deal” made first at the expense of the Palestinians and then the Sahrawis. He characterized it as an unacceptable bargain between two states that, in his assessment, are known for their regional ambitions and disregard for international law and international judicial rulings.
The diplomat rejected calls for the Sahrawi people to abandon their aspirations for freedom and dignity and accept the status quo in the name of pragmatism and realism. He stressed that the Sahrawi people had waited long enough for the international community to uphold its commitments and ensure their right to self-determination.
He also called on the Fourth Committee to fulfil its responsibility to support the Sahrawi people's democratic aspirations and not overlook their suffering over the past five decades or their aspiration to return to their homeland with dignity and respect for their inalienable rights.
The Algerian representative outlined three fundamental principles that, he said, must guide a settlement of the Western Sahara conflict.
The first is that sovereignty over the territory cannot be conferred by any party, including the UN Security Council, because the Sahrawi people are the holders of sovereignty and must be consulted on their future.
The second principle is that a just and lasting solution cannot be based on a predetermined outcome imposed either as the starting point or the ultimate objective of negotiations. He stressed that negotiations, however difficult, must constitute a genuine path towards a settlement rather than a means of imposing an option decided in advance.
The third principle is the need to take into account the realities facing the Sahrawi people, the majority of whom live in refugee conditions in Algeria, Mauritania and elsewhere. He emphasized that Sahrawi refugees are entitled to the protection guaranteed by multilateral conventions and to international assistance. UN member states, he added, have a responsibility to provide support, protection and assistance until a just and lasting political solution is reached.
Turning to humanitarian assistance, the Algerian diplomat addressed the decline in funding amid mounting humanitarian crises worldwide. He questioned whether the appropriate response was to reduce the number of refugees registered as eligible for assistance rather than address the root causes of conflicts through negotiations and diplomacy.
He stressed that sustainable solutions require political settlements addressing the underlying causes of crises, not what he described as an accounting manoeuvre aimed at reducing the number of refugees receiving assistance.
The representative also commended the role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), stressing that the agency's credibility rests on providing assistance to those in need without politicization or political interference.
He urged UNHCR not to become involved in what he described as “indecent blackmail through starvation” intended to pressure refugees into accepting short-sighted political solutions, warning that such practices would fall outside the agency's mandate and contradict its humanitarian mission.
Concluding his statement, the Algerian representative reaffirmed his country's commitment to international law and international humanitarian law, expressing its support for a lasting solution to the Western Sahara conflict that meets the requirements of justice, fulfils the aspirations of the Sahrawi people and contributes to restoring peace and understanding in the region.
He called on the UN General Assembly, as the guardian of international legitimacy and the UN Charter, to work towards a just and lasting solution guaranteeing the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination.
The statement was delivered during the Fourth Committee's consideration of Non-Self-Governing Territories, including Western Sahara, whose people continue to await the completion of the decolonization process and the opportunity to freely determine their political future.
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