Western Sahara: Polisario front challenges UN Envoy as MINURSO mandate vote nears

With just two weeks to go before the vote on extending MINURSO's mandate, tensions are rising over Western Sahara. On Tuesday, the Polisario Front issued a statement following closed-door talks at the UN Security Council, challenging the neutrality of UN envoy Staffan de Mistura. The movement accuses him of leaning toward Morocco's autonomy plan, warning that a mediator cannot decide a people's future in advance. But the Polisario Front insists it's not walking away from negotiations, which resumed earlier this year. Instead, it is demanding a change in approach, with self-determination at the centre of any political solution. Meanwhile, the movement says MINURSO remains indispensable, but its mission must not lose its purpose. As the mandate vote approaches, the question is whether the UN can restore trust, or whether Growing divisions will further complicate efforts to resolve one of the region's longest-running conflicts.