New York, 27 October 2026 (SPS) – Sidi Mohamed Omar, member of the National Secretariat of the Frente POLISARIO, its representative to the United Nations and coordinator with MINURSO, has affirmed that the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and independence is firmly established and cannot be erased by any party, including the US president.
In an interview with France 24 on Monday, during the programme Face à Face, the Sahrawi diplomat stressed that the US draft resolution on Western Sahara represents a serious departure from the principles that have long guided the UN Security Council’s approach to the issue. He said it undermines the very foundations of the peace process, which rests on the Sahrawi people’s inalienable right to self-determination and independence, and seeks to alter the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
Sidi Mohamed Omar clarified that the Frente POLISARIO had warned that adopting the draft without substantial and meaningful amendments would leave it with no choice but to withdraw from the entire peace process. He nevertheless reaffirmed the Sahrawi side’s commitment to achieving a peaceful and just solution to the Western Sahara question, which remains a decolonisation issue.
He further stressed that sovereignty over Western Sahara belongs exclusively to the Sahrawi people and that no party has the right to grant it to whomever it chooses. He added that the US draft reflects the position adopted by the US administration in 2020, which he described as fully aligned with that of the Moroccan occupying state.
The Sahrawi diplomat reiterated that the Sahrawi people would never accept any approach that predetermined the outcome of their free exercise of the right to self-determination. He reaffirmed the Frente POLISARIO’s commitment to pursuing peace, provided it is just and lasting.
Regarding discussions on the draft resolution within the Security Council, Sidi Mohamed Omar stated that the Frente POLISARIO, as a principal party to the conflict, remains in constant contact with all Council members, including the permanent members. He noted that strong positions within the Council oppose the US draft and reject its contents outright.
