Shaheed El-Hafed, 28 January 2026 (SPS) – The Special Adviser to the President of the Republic in charge of natural resources and related legal issues, Mr. Oubi Bushraya Bashir, has reaffirmed that the Sahrawi issue is a decolonization issue and that its solution must be in line with United Nations resolutions.
In an interview with El-Murabitoun TV, and in response to a question on whether the United Nations remains the most appropriate framework for resolving the conflict, Oubi Bushraya Bashir stressed that the UN continues to be the only framework for resolving the dispute. He justified this by the legal status of the conflict, which derives its legitimacy from UN resolutions, and by the fact that Western Sahara is classified by the UN as a Non-Self-Governing Territory undergoing a decolonization process. This necessarily requires, as firmly established in the UN Charter, a return to the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to self-determination and to determine the final status of the Territory.
He added: “Departing from this framework would, for us, be a step into the unknown—something Morocco is seeking,” noting: “I can assure you that there will be no final solution to the conflict outside the framework of the United Nations, as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2797.”
Responding to a question about the UN’s inability to resolve the conflict so far, the Presidential Adviser attributed this to the nature of the international system we live in and to the balance of power within the UN Security Council, where some influential powers tend to support Morocco. At the same time, he noted, these powers cannot bypass justice and the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, as this right is anchored in international law, the UN Charter, and the Organization’s historical traditions in decolonization.
As for the Polisario Front, it continues its struggle for self-determination and national independence with a firm belief that attaining this right is a historical inevitability, no matter how long it takes or how complex the challenges become. He added: “We are not in need of convincing anyone; the justice of the cause speaks for itself, but the world is not always just.”
Regarding the possibility of holding a referendum, Oubi Bushraya Bashir pointed out that what is lacking is the political will of the other party. From a technical standpoint, 80 percent of the preparations for the referendum—whether in identifying eligible voters or in the procedural and organizational arrangements—have already been completed by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). He noted that there are technical issues, but they are surmountable if political will exists through the negotiation process.
The Sahrawi official considered that the referendum remains “the realistic and practicable political solution,” as it gives the decisive word to the Sahrawi people, independently of the positions of the two direct parties to the conflict—the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front.
Regarding the Polisario Front’s position on including the so-called autonomy proposal as a negotiated solution, the Sahrawi official stated that the Polisario Front has no objection to including Morocco’s proposal among the topics of negotiation, as long as it is not the sole basis for negotiations or for a solution. He noted that Morocco’s proposal had already been discussed in previous rounds of negotiations without leading to any result.
Oubi Bushraya Bashir attributed this to the inconsistency of the Moroccan proposal with the legal nature of the conflict, the principles of international law, and the United Nations doctrine on the decolonization of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
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