Shaheed El Hafed, 3 November 2026 (SPS) – Minister of State in charge of Diplomatic Affairs at the Presidency and Head of the Polisario Front’s Foreign Relations Committee, Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, affirmed that Morocco’s investments since 2001 in attempts to undermine the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence have come to nothing following Russia’s veto at the UN Security Council.
In an interview broadcast Monday evening on Sahrawi National Television, Ould Salek described the developments at the Security Council as a major victory for the Sahrawi people, the region, Africa and the international community, as they reaffirmed the principles underpinning international relations and the establishment of the United Nations.
He stressed that this historic development creates new momentum for the Sahrawi people's struggle for self-defence and independence.
Referring to the history of the conflict, Ould Salek said the late Moroccan King Hassan II accepted the UN-African settlement plan under pressure from the military operations of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army and diplomatic setbacks, having realised that Morocco could not ultimately win the war and that sovereignty over Western Sahara belongs exclusively to its people.
He added that Hassan II accepted the referendum as a democratic solution consistent with international legitimacy, although Morocco subsequently sought to delay its implementation after realising that its outcome would not serve its claims.
Regarding the UN process, the Sahrawi official identified the involvement of the so-called “Group of Friends of Western Sahara” as a turning point, arguing that the Security Council should instead have strengthened MINURSO to enable it to fulfil its mandate in the face of Moroccan obstruction.
He attributed the mission's failure to organise the referendum, monitor human rights and prevent the plundering of natural resources to what he described as the protection afforded to Morocco by members of the group, allowing it to evade accountability.
On Russia's veto, Ould Salek clarified that Moscow had warned during Security Council deliberations that the US draft resolution would force the Council to choose between allowing MINURSO to operate in violation of previous UN resolutions and international law, or ending the mission's presence in Western Sahara. He said Russia preferred the latter option rather than changing the mission's mandate and legal foundations.
He also highlighted China's position, noting that Beijing had stressed that the Security Council has no authority to recognise one state's sovereignty over another country or territory. Such a move, he said, would constitute a dangerous precedent for international peace and security, reaffirming the need to respect the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination.
Rejecting claims of a political deadlock, Ould Salek said recent developments had instead generated strong momentum for the Sahrawi people's struggle for freedom, independence and the completion of their sovereignty.
He further dismissed Moroccan claims regarding Russia's position, stressing that Moscow had not informed Morocco in advance of its decision to use the veto. Rather, Russia had clearly opposed any attempt to alter MINURSO's mandate or legal framework and prevent its use to legitimise the occupation and impose a fait accompli.
The Sahrawi official added that Morocco had exhausted its options to secure international support for its proposal, including normalisation, financial inducements and attempts to influence individuals and states. He said the Russian veto had rendered these efforts ineffective.
Ould Salek described Morocco's colonial expansionist approach as doomed to failure, drawing parallels with strategies previously pursued by colonial and racist regimes in Algeria, South Africa, Rhodesia and Vietnam, which ultimately failed.
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