Morocco, Polisario reject UN 'unofficial' proposal on partition plan for Western Sahara

Morocco has firmly rejected a proposal by the United Nations (UN) envoy to partition the disputed territory of Western Sahara, asserting that the kingdom's sovereignty is not open for negotiation.

During a closed session of the UN Security Council last week, Western Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura suggested dividing the territory between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front in a bid to resolve the decades-long conflict.

On Monday, 21 October, Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita called the proposal "unacceptable," referencing past rejections of similar plans. 

"Morocco has not and will not even entertain the suggestion because it contradicts the kingdom and Moroccans' principled stance that the Sahara is Moroccan", Bourita said at a press conference in Rabat.

Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is classified by the UN as a "non-self-governing territory" in the absence of a final settlement.

For over half a century, Morocco, which considers the region part of its national territory, has clashed with the Polisario Front, an independence movement backed by Algeria.

Rabat insists on an autonomy plan under its sovereignty, while the Polisario advocates for a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination, agreed upon in a 1991 ceasefire but never implemented.

De Mistura, who has spent three years as the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for the territory, has struggled to bring the conflicting parties to the negotiating table.

The seasoned Italian-Swiss diplomat suggested that partition could create an independent state in the southern part, while the rest of the territory would be integrated into Morocco, with its sovereignty internationally recognised.

However, even the Polisario Front rejected the idea. 

"De Mistura's suggestion is like a retirement notice after he failed to find a solution for the issue", commented Abdel Fattah El-Fatehi, a Moroccan expert in international affairs.

During Monday's press conference, Bourita also revealed that Rabat had declined a future visit from De Mistura, hinting at a possible push for his replacement.

Since the UN's involvement in the Western Sahara conflict, seven personal envoys have been appointed by the Secretary-General, most of whom resigned after making little headway in negotiations. 

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, clarified that De Mistura's partition suggestion was not included in his official report and was only floated during discussions with Security Council members, according to local media Hespress.

This is not the first time the division of Western Sahara has been raised as a potential solution. James A. Baker III, who served as the UN envoy from 1997 to 2004, also proposed a division plan, which was rejected by both Rabat and the Polisario.

In his most recent report on 1 October, UN Secretary-General António Guterres flagged the "low-intensity hostilities between Morocco and the Polisario Front" and noted the lack of progress despite De Mistura's efforts.

Meanwhile, the UN has extended the mandate of its peacekeeping mission, MINURSO, for another year. The mission was first deployed in 1991 following a ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front.

The next round of discussions on Western Sahara is set for April 2025, to continue the dialogue and explore potential resolutions that win both parties' approval.