UN Security Council to hold key meetings on Sahara under Bahrain's presidency

This month, the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, held by Bahrain, has scheduled two closed-door meetings on the Sahara issue in its provisional agenda, set for April 24 and 30.

The first meeting will focus on briefings by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, his personal envoy for Western Sahara Staffan de Mistura, and the head of MINURSO Alexander Ivanko.

The second meeting is expected to address the «strategic review» of the UN mission’s mandate in the Sahara, in line with Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted on October 31. On this occasion, Guterres will brief members on the progress of discussions among the four parties involved, Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front, and Mauritania, and outline perspectives on the future evolution of MINURSO’s mandate.

For context, a United Nations delegation visited Laayoune from March 24 to 30, where it met with the head of MINURSO as well as Moroccan authorities. The mission then continued to Mauritania as part of its regional consultations.