Algiers, 1 November 2026 (SPS) – The Algerian government on Saturday expressed deep regret over the failure to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), saying that the excessive and blatant bias in the US-drafted resolution in favour of Morocco made this outcome inevitable.
In a statement, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the draft prepared by the Security Council penholder was heavily and disproportionately tilted towards Morocco at the expense of the Frente POLISARIO, making it impossible to regard the text as a serious or impartial basis for achieving a just and lasting solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
The statement disclosed that, ahead of the vote, Ahmed Attaf, Algeria’s Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, had sent formal messages to his counterparts on the Security Council, warning them of the serious implications of developments in the UN’s handling of the Western Sahara issue.
Algeria had particularly cautioned against adopting a resolution aimed at entrenching a fait accompli in the territory and legitimising an occupation, at the expense of the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination, the statement added.
The ministry noted that, despite partial amendments to the text, its final version stripped the right to self-determination of its legal and historical substance by presenting the so-called autonomy proposal under Morocco’s claimed sovereignty as the sole and imposed basis for negotiations. It said this approach significantly narrowed the options available to the parties and prejudged the outcome of the political process.
Algeria reaffirmed that any final settlement of the Western Sahara conflict must enable the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to self-determination freely and without imposition, in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
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