Paris, 2 November 2026 (SPS) – The French Association of Friends of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (AARASD) has affirmed that the suspension of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) does not affect the Sahrawi people’s inalienable right to self-determination, which remains guaranteed under international law.
In a statement issued in Paris on Monday, the association reviewed the discussions held by the UN Security Council on 31 October, arguing that the positions advanced by Morocco, with the support of the United States and France, sought to impose Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
AARASD said the lack of consensus had forced the Security Council to suspend MINURSO, noting that Morocco had quickly portrayed the development as a significant step towards the definitive closure of what it calls the “Moroccan Sahara” issue.
The association pointed out that several countries, including Algeria, South Africa and Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, had defended the continuation of MINURSO, the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and respect for international law.
It also recalled that former UN Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, US Ambassador Christopher Ross (2009–2017), had warned ahead of the Security Council meeting that the US position was contrary to international law.
AARASD welcomed the statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 1 November, in which he stressed that the suspension of MINURSO did not mean abandoning the Sahrawi people’s inalienable right to self-determination and to freely choose their future.
The association commended the United Nations’ reaffirmation of this commitment and highlighted the determination of the Sahrawi people and their legitimate representative, the Polisario Front, to continue their struggle for independence.
It also referred to hunger strikes undertaken in recent months by several Sahrawi political prisoners, detained for 16 years, describing them as a reflection of the Sahrawi people’s continued determination to pursue freedom and independence.
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