The strategic review of the MINURSO mandate is now underway at the Security Council

The Security Council gathered on Thursday evening for a session focused on the strategic reassessment of MINURSO's mandate, in line with Resolution 2797 passed on October 31. «It was essentially a recap session,» a Moroccan source informed Yabiladi, highlighting that the Council's Fifteen were briefed on the findings of the United Nations team, which conducted a tour of the Sahara, Mauritania, and the Tindouf camps from March 24 to April 2.

The UN delegation was tasked with assessing MINURSO's operations, 35 years after its inception on April 29, 1991. «The recommendations largely align with Morocco's stance,» the source stated.

After the Security Council meetings on April 24 and 30, «the case is progressing well,» our source assures. However, the future of MINURSO hinges on the forthcoming negotiations among the four key parties involved in the Sahara conflict: Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front, and Mauritania.

Facing American Pressure, Algiers Bets on a Russian Veto

The United States is exerting pressure on Algeria to initiate a third round of negotiations. This message was delivered by Massad Boulos, special advisor to President Donald Trump on African and Arab Affairs, during a meeting on April 17 in Turkey with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf.

Concurrently, Christopher Landau, the Deputy Secretary of State, reiterated the same message this week to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The senior American diplomat stressed, during his visits to Algiers and Rabat, the pressing need to resolve the decades-old Sahara conflict.

Simultaneously, Algeria is banking on potential vetoes from Russia and China to block any changes to MINURSO's mandate or name. In this context, the Algerian ambassador in Moscow met on April 24 with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister. In Algiers, Algerian Industry Minister Yahia Bachir held talks on Thursday, April 30, with Sergei Cheremin, a Moscow government minister responsible for external economic affairs.

On October 20, 2025, the same Algerian official had welcomed a high-level delegation from the Russian business organization Business Russia, as the Security Council was preparing to adopt a resolution affirming the preeminence of the autonomy solution within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty proposed by the Kingdom.

As six months ago, discussions between the two parties «focused on strengthening bilateral ties through the launch of joint industrial projects, particularly in high value-added sectors, reflecting a shared desire to extend economic engagement beyond traditional sectors,» reported Algerian media.