Sahara : Before visiting the Polisario, De Mistura was in Laayoune

The UN Secretary-General’s envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, continued his tour of the region with a visit to Laayoune on Friday, April 4.

«He landed this afternoon at Laayoune airport, coming from Nouakchott. He immediately went to the MINURSO headquarters to meet with the head of the UN mission, Russian diplomat Alexander Ivanko», a Moroccan source close to the matter told Yabiladi. As a reminder, the UN envoy had already visited Laayoune and Dakhla in September 2023.

After his stop in Laayoune, De Mistura boarded a UN plane to Tindouf, Algeria. From there, he traveled by vehicle the short distance to the Rabouni camp, the administrative headquarters of the Polisario. In the coming hours, De Mistura is expected to meet with the head of the Front, Brahim Ghali.

The Polisario preceded De Mistura’s visit by outlining its conditions for a potential resumption of political negotiations, which have been stalled since March 2019.

The personal envoy has also visited Rabat and Nouakchott. In the coming days, he is expected to brief members of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Sahara.