In an unprecedented move, the Polisario criticizes the MINURSO

Weeks after the United Nations Security Council renewed its mandate; the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has been criticized by the Polisario Front.

Speaking during a conference held in France, the Front’s representative Oubbi Bucharaya Bachir said that «in addition to not fulfilling its main mission, [MINURSO] is gradually becoming a mission that consolidates the Moroccan occupation of the Sahrawi territory».  

Since the UN Secretary-General ordered the head of the mission not to meet Polisario members in Bir Lahlou, which they regard as their capital, relations between the two parties have deteriorated significantly.

Previously, members of the Polisario leadership avoided openly criticizing the activities of MINURSO, leaving it to the media or some unofficial voices.