Decolonization Committee Split over Western Sahara’s Future
Several delegates and Western Sahara petitioners today urged the Special Committee on Decolonization to liberate the “last colony in Africa” through a self-determination referendum that includes independence as an option, while other speakers supported Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the most realistic solution for resolving the longstanding question.
Western Sahara, a territory with a population of 612,000 and land area of 266,000 square kilometres in northern Africa, has been on the Special Committee’s list of Non-Self-Governing Territories since 1963. In 1991, the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was established to support the settlement proposals and ceasefire reached by Morocco and the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguía el-Hamra y de Río de Oro (Frente POLISARIO), a Sahrawi movement for self-determination.
In 2025, the General Assembly adopted its annual resolution, expressing support for negotiations towards a mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, while Council resolution 2797 (2025) expressed “its full support for the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy in facilitating and conducting negotiations taking as basis Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal”.
Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal Most Realistic
Ghalla Bahiya, of the Regional Council of Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, was among the many speakers who highlighted the Council resolution — she said that this “landmark resolution” brought “unprecedented clarity” to the issue. The text emphasizes autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the most realistic solution, she said, adding that there is international support for this and it must be implemented. As an elected official and woman from Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, she also pointed to the “trajectory of transformation” in the Moroccan Sahara, from investments to infrastructure development to connectivity. Dakhla is not just a geographic location, it is a strategic getaway linking Africa and Europe, she said.
Najib Boudhim, of the non-governmental organization 9 MARS, said the Council resolution reaffirmed the need for a pragmatic political solution to an “artificial conflict that has lasted far too long” and negatively affected regional stability. Far from outdated approaches that have proven ineffective, this text consolidated the principles of realism and compromise as the essential basis for resolving the issue. It also called for constructive engagement from all parties, “clearly reflecting the direct role of Algeria”, he added. He also highlighted the various forms of exploitation that are rampant in Tindouf camps due to the fragile humanitarian situation there.
Mohammed Elaissaoui, of the Organisation pour la fin des violations des droits de l'Homme dans les camps de Tindouf, said the “alleged refugees” in those camps, including women and children, are deprived of their fundamental right to movement. The Frente POLISARIO have created deliberate obstructions to registering the population of the camps, he said, adding that its leaders have grown wealthy by embezzling humanitarian aid dedicated to those camps. These are not allegations, but documented facts, and Algeria has direct responsibility for this tragedy as the host country, he said.
Sahrawis Favour Independence
In contrast, Agron Pali of the Global Monitoring Center expressed concern about efforts to “reshape this question not through international law, but through political pressure”. Certain Member States and lobbying groups are attempting to delegitimize a recognized national liberation movement and political stakeholder in the peace process. This risks “transforming diplomacy into a tool of exclusion”, he warned. Western Sahara possesses significant natural wealth, including fisheries, phosphate reserves, and renewable energy resources, he added. These resources should be protected while the decolonization process remains unfinished. His organization has proposed the establishment of an “International Trust Fund for the Natural Resources of Western Sahara”, administered by a neutral international body.
“For over six decades, the Sahrawi people have been waiting for the UN to fully assume its responsibility in the decolonization of Western Sahara,” said Sidi M. Omar, speaking on behalf of the Frente POLISARIO. Recalling the Special Committee’s 1975 visit to the Territory, he said there was — and remains — an overwhelming consensus among Sahrawis in favour of independence and opposing any integration with Morocco or Mauritania.
“Over five decades of Morocco’s brutal occupation, repression, and terrorization have only strengthened our people’s unwavering resolve to defend their sovereignty and legitimate national aspirations,” he said. The way forward for Africa’s last remaining colony is clear: “The Sahrawi people must be granted the chance to exercise their right to self-determination and independence through a free and democratic process.”
Taib Malaikhaf, of the Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders Collective, highlighted the seizure of lands traditionally used by the Sahrawi people. This is accompanied by repeated demolition of civilian homes and property, he said, noting that land mines have resulted in deaths and disability and displacement. Indigenous Sahrawis are being displaced from the lands they have held for generations and their resources are being offered to foreign investors and companies without their consent. This is an attempt to create a new reality, he said, adding that offering real estate and privileges to foreigners entrenches the illegal status quo.
Chris Sassi of SKC added that self-determination is the prerequisite for the enjoyment of all other rights. Depriving the Sahrawi people of the ability to determine their future places them in a state of “legal vulnerability”, he said, also noting the breakdown of the ceasefire in November 2020. The occupying Power has implemented a policy of systematic repression: peaceful demonstrations are violently suppressed, Sahrawi activists face arrests without warrants, extrajudicial executions and torture, and the “ironclad media blockade” means international observers, legal experts and foreign journalists are denied access to the Territory.
Morocco, Algeria Trade Barbs over Role of Special Committee
Similar divisions also played out when delegates debated the issue. Those that see the Moroccan Sahara as an issue of decolonization are misreading the situation, Morocco’s delegate said, describing the Special Committee’s consideration of this topic as “sterile”. “This issue is the exclusive competence of the Security Council” and does not fall under decolonization; therefore, the Special Committee is duplicating work, he said. The resolution adopted by the Council on 31 October 2025 was “a historic turning point”, he said; it “gave exclusive sovereignty to Morocco to end this dispute”, rejected the POLISARIO proposal and “reaffirmed the abandonment of the referendum”. It also called upon the parties to engage in a political process, on the basis of the Moroccan autonomy plan “and nothing more”, he added. Morocco has invested much money into the Sahara, he said, adding that a “promising destiny” awaits all in the region.
However, Algeria’s delegate stressed that the mandate of the Special Committee remains relevant as long as the people of Western Sahara have not fully exercised their right to self-determination. Legal and judiciary references at the international level reaffirm Western Sahara’s status as a Non-Self-Governing Territory, he said. His country is participating in the political process under way as a neighbor and as an observer State, he said, and welcomed the holding of direct negotiations between Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO. However, the solution must guarantee the exercise of the right to self-determination for the people of Western Sahara, he stressed. Noting that the two parties to the conflict have met in the past without finding a settlement to the issue, he warned against preconditions and rhetoric denigrating the other party.
Support for Sahrawi People’s Right to Self-determination
“We advocate for a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that will lead to the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara,” said Cuba’s delegate, urging the international community to commit itself to implement the UN’s various decisions and resolutions on the Territory. In that regard, she rejected any unilateral decisions — including the proposal for “autonomy without sovereignty” — and outlined her own country’s solidarity with the Sahrawi people, which it continues to support despite its own struggles under the United States’ longstanding economic blockade.
The representatives of Timor-Leste, Nicaragua, Venezuela, South Africa, Angola and Colombia were among those who expressed support for the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
Zimbabwe, that country’s speaker said, will continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Western Sahara in their legitimate struggle for independence. “This must be the decade in which the question of Western Sahara and indeed all remaining decolonization questions are finally resolved,” she said. She noted the Security Council's call for the resumption of the political process, aimed at achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
“Western Sahara has been, for over 50 years, under the illegal occupation by the Kingdom of Morocco,” said Namibia’s representative. As such, the situation in the Territory remains a matter of decolonization of which the Special Committee must remain seized. He stressed that Security Council resolution 2797 (2025) “did not impose the Moroccan autonomy plan”. Instead, it reaffirmed the need for a lasting, mutually agreeable political solution between the parties.
Support for Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal
The representative of Sierra Leone, however, said Council resolution 2797 (2025) injected “renewed momentum” in efforts to resolve the longstanding dispute in Western Sahara. Expressing support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal, he praised the “sustainable, inclusive and responsible” development projects taking place in Western Sahara. The representative of Comoros noted that the proposal was at the heart of recent international consultations in Washington, D.C., and Madrid.
The representatives of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Benin, and Bahrain, who spoke for the Gulf Cooperation Council, also voiced support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal.
Côte d’Ivoire’s delegate said that Morocco’s proposal takes into consideration the special characteristics of the Moroccan Sahara and gives the region’s inhabitants an opportunity to participate in its sociopolitical and economic management. He also welcomed Morocco’s efforts to strengthen the role of regional human rights commissions in Layoune and Dakhla. “We are very happy that the people of this part of the world are benefiting” from Morocco’s socioeconomic and infrastructure development efforts, Burkina Faso’s delegate said.