New York (United Nations), 14 October 2026 (SPS) – Algeria has reaffirmed its support for a just and lasting solution to the Western Sahara conflict based on the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination.
Addressing the Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly during the general debate on political and decolonization issues on Tuesday, Algeria's Permanent Representative to the UN, Amar Bendjama, reiterated his country's longstanding position on Western Sahara.
Bendjama stressed that Western Sahara remains an unfinished decolonization issue, noting that the United Nations has included the territory on its list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. He added that General Assembly resolutions have upheld this status, which was also supported by the International Court of Justice in its advisory opinion.
Referring to General Assembly resolutions 1514 and 1541, he emphasized that the political status of any territory must be determined by the free will of its people, describing this principle as central to any genuine decolonization process.
“No party has the right to confer sovereignty over the territory, not even the United Nations Security Council,” he stated, stressing that sovereignty rests with the Sahrawi people, who must be consulted on their future.
He further argued that no solution could be considered just and lasting if imposed in advance, emphasizing that negotiations must provide a path towards a settlement rather than serve as a means of imposing a predetermined outcome.
The Algerian representative welcomed the resumption of direct talks 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. He noted that Algeria and Mauritania participated as observers, given their interest as neighbouring countries in restoring peace, stability and harmony to the region.
Bendjama expressed concern over developments in the conflict, which he attributed to what he described as an openly announced, discreditable deal that came at the expense first of the Palestinians and then of the Sahrawis. He characterized it as an unethical bargain between two occupying powers that, in his assessment, pursue expansionist ambitions and challenge international law and international judicial rulings.
He also warned against 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.
The Algerian diplomat recalled that the majority of the Sahrawi people live as refugees in Algeria, Mauritania and elsewhere. He stressed that they are entitled to the protection afforded by the United Nations and international conventions, as well as international assistance.
In this regard, he called on UN member states to continue providing support, protection and humanitarian assistance to Sahrawi refugees pending a just and lasting political solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
Addressing the decline in humanitarian funding amid multiple global crises, Bendjama stressed that the answer was not to reduce the number of refugees deemed eligible for assistance through accounting measures, but to address the root causes of conflicts through negotiations and diplomacy.
He also cautioned against politicizing humanitarian assistance, commending UNHCR for its longstanding commitment to supporting those in need independently of political considerations. He warned against using starvation as a means of pressuring Sahrawi refugees into accepting what he described as a short-sighted political solution, adding that such practices would fall outside UNHCR's mandate and undermine its standing.
Concluding his statement, Bendjama reaffirmed Algeria's commitment to international law and international humanitarian law, as well as its support for a lasting solution that meets the requirements of justice, fulfils the aspirations of the Sahrawi people and contributes to restoring peace and harmony in the region.
He called on the UN General Assembly, as a guardian of international legitimacy and the UN Charter, to work towards a just and lasting solution that guarantees the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination.
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