New York (United Nations), 31 October 2026 (SPS) – Algeria has rejected the US-drafted Security Council resolution on Western Sahara, describing it as a departure from the founding principles of the United Nations and an attempt to legitimise the status quo imposed by the Moroccan occupation at the expense of the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination.
Speaking before the Security Council on Friday, Algeria's Permanent Representative to the UN, Amar Bendjama, said his country participated in the meeting as a neighbouring state concerned by the conflict, a host country for Sahrawi refugees and a UN member committed to the principles of the UN Charter and international law.
He thanked Russia for vetoing the US draft and submitting an alternative resolution for a technical extension of MINURSO's mandate. He also commended the countries that refused to support what he described as an injustice against the foundations of the United Nations.
Bendjama stressed that the responsibility of the Security Council's penholder was not a privilege but an obligation requiring impartiality, balance and the confidence of all parties. He questioned whether these principles had been respected in preparing the US draft.
Reaffirming that self-determination remains the fundamental basis for resolving the conflict, he stressed that it provides the clearest guarantee of the Sahrawi people's right to freely choose their future. He rejected attempts to confine this right to an autonomy formula.
The Algerian diplomat further said that the US draft treated negotiations as though their outcome had already been decided, making Morocco's claimed sovereignty the starting and ending point of the political process rather than allowing genuine negotiations towards a mutually acceptable settlement.
He warned against undermining international law and the principle of sovereignty, recalling the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on Western Sahara and cautioning against legitimising the imposition of the stronger party's will on the weaker.
On the humanitarian situation, Bendjama warned against reducing the suffering of Sahrawi refugees to statistics, food requirements and aid budgets. He stressed their right to protection, assistance and dignified living conditions under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
He also raised concerns over the potential consequences of the proposed approach, including prolonged hardship, worsening hunger and malnutrition amid declining food assistance, and the risk of forced displacement being presented as the only option for refugees.
Algeria reaffirmed its commitment to working towards a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that guarantees the Sahrawi people's exercise of their right to self-determination, in accordance with the UN Charter and relevant resolutions.
