Sahrawi President Submits Letter to UN on Western Sahara, Calls for Accountability and Decolonization

The President of the Sahrawi Republic and Secretary-General of the Frente POLISARIO, Brahim Ghali, sent a detailed letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 22 October 2025, outlining the Sahrawi position on key points in the Secretary-General’s recent report on Western Sahara. The letter comes ahead of upcoming UN Security Council consultations on the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

Ghali emphasized that Morocco, the occupying state, is responsible for ongoing breaches of the 1991 ceasefire and related military agreements, citing actions such as the 2020 Guerguerat incursion, construction of roads and walls in the buffer zone, and attacks using uncrewed aerial vehicles targeting civilians. The letter also criticized Morocco’s obstruction of MINURSO and OHCHR access to the territory and detailed systematic human rights violations, including repression of peaceful protests, targeting of Sahrawi women, human rights defenders, and detention of political prisoners.

The Frente POLISARIO reiterated its commitment to a peaceful and lasting solution, calling for the UN to ensure the Sahrawi people can exercise their inalienable right to self-determination. Ghali expressed readiness for direct negotiations with Morocco under UN auspices, based on the expanded proposal submitted on 20 October 2025, and urged the Security Council to empower MINURSO fully to monitor human rights, protect civilians, and uphold international law in the territory.