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In his report on the situation in the Sahara, the UN Secretary-General welcomed the Royal Armed Forces' (FAR) compliance with the ceasefire signed in 1991. Guterres noted that in February 2024, the Special Representative and Force Commander of MINURSO proposed a cessation of hostilities during the holy month of Ramadan, emphasizing that «the FAR responded on February 26 by reiterating their commitment to the agreements reached» in 1991, «but stressed their right to respond to attacks by the Front». The Polisario, on the other hand, rejected the offer, arguing that the «call ignores the current reality on the ground».
It is worth noting that in response to the FAR's operation in El Guerguerate, the Polisario announced the resumption of armed actions on November 13, 2020. Since then, the separatist movement has lost its ability to block traffic at the border between Morocco and Mauritania, as well as its presence in its «liberated territories».
The UN Secretary-General affirmed that «MINURSO has continued to strengthen coordination and cooperation» with the Moroccan authorities, both civilian and military. The UN mission «paid three visits to the Southern Zone Headquarters in Agadir in November 2023, February, and May 2024». At the operational level, seven meetings were held between MINURSO's military component and the FAR : two in Laayoune in September 2023 and March 2024, three in Dakhla in October 2023, January, and May 2024, and two in Guelmim in December 2023 and May 2024.
Guterres also praised the FAR's efforts in mine action, pointing out that the Royal Armed Forces had cleared «189.09 million m²» of landmines between September 2023 and July 2024. However, MINURSO has faced numerous obstructions from the Polisario.
He specifically noted that his Special Representative and the MINURSO Force Commander «have not been able to establish contact with the Polisario in Rabouni» in Algeria. Brahim Ghali's supporters demand that meetings with members of the mission take place in their «liberated territories» rather than on Algerian territory.
Additionally, «the Frente POLISARIO continues to limit MINURSO's movements to a distance of 20 kilometers from each observation point. (...) Helicopter reconnaissance flights have not been authorized east of the Mur des Sables since November 2020», lamented the UN Secretary-General in his report.
