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The Polisario leader, in a letter sent to the UN Secretary General, has criticized senior MINURSO staff for refusing to meet with his representatives in what he called the «liberated territories». Brahim Ghali described this rejection as «dangerous and deplorable and echoing the stance of the occupying state».
Ghali argued that former UN Special Representatives, including Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, Julian Harston, and Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber, had visited the «liberated territories» and held meetings with Polisario leaders, primarily in Tifariti.
The Polisario leader insisted that «meetings with MINURSO's civilian and military leaders could only take place within the liberated Saharawi territories». In March 2016, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Tifariti and delivered an anti-Moroccan speech.
No MINURSO meetings in «liberated territories»
However, the situation has changed since then. Following Antonio Guterres' appointment as UN Secretary-General in 2017, MINURSO declined all invitations to visit the «liberated territories» and meet with Polisario officials.
In a December 2019 letter to Guterres, Brahim Ghali expressed his discontent with the «refusal of former MINURSO head Colin Stewart and his successor, Alexander Ivanko, to meet with Polisario representatives in the liberated territories».
It is worth noting that, the Security Council, in its resolution of April 27, 2018, expressed concern about the Polisario Front's presence in the Guerguerat buffer zone and called for its immediate withdrawal. The Council also urged the Polisario to refrain from destabilizing actions, such as moving administrative functions to Bir Lahlou.
In the same year, Antonio Guterres unsuccessfully warned the Polisario against any actions that could alter the status quo, reacting to their announcement of a military parade in Tifariti.
