Lisbon, 29 October 2026 (SPS) – More than 60 Portuguese academics and researchers, or those working in Portugal, have called on the UN Security Council to uphold the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and reject any attempt to predetermine the outcome of the Western Sahara conflict.
In a letter submitted through the Portuguese Association of Friendship with Western Sahara, the signatories urged the Security Council to support a free and fair referendum under UN auspices and ensure that the political process complies with international law.
They also called for the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), whose mandate expires on 31 October, to be explicitly mandated to monitor human rights, stressing that negotiations must remain consistent with UN principles.
Among the signatories are academics from the universities of Coimbra and Lisbon, as well as former and current leaders of Portugal's Left Bloc.
The appeal comes ahead of Friday's Security Council vote on a US-drafted resolution on Western Sahara. The Polisario Front rejected the initial draft on 23 October, arguing that it reflected Morocco's position and warning that it could withdraw from negotiations if the text remained unchanged.
In a letter to the Security Council, Polisario Front Representative to the UN Sidi Mohamed Omar said the draft could not serve as a basis for deliberations on MINURSO or the peace process. He recalled that the mission was established through an agreement between the Polisario Front and Morocco, warning that any unilateral alteration of its mandate to accommodate Rabat's position would undermine international efforts to complete the decolonisation of Western Sahara.
The Sahrawi representative further warned that legitimising the acquisition of territory by force would undermine prospects for a just and lasting settlement and threaten regional peace and security.
