The Polisario leader met with Antonio Guterres in Dili, East Timor, Friday. Brahim Ghali reiterated his movement's demands to the UN Secretary-General, specifically «to extend MINURSO's mandate to include the monitoring of human rights in the Sahara and to end Morocco's plundering of Western Sahara's natural resources», according to the Front's press agency. He also emphasized to the Portuguese that «Western Sahara remains under the direct responsibility of the United Nations», the same source adds. The meeting in Dili took place on the sidelines of celebrations organized by the Republic of East Timor to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the self-determination referendum held in the former Indonesian province on August 30, 1999. East Timor recognizes «SADR». The last meeting between the two parties occurred at UN headquarters in New York on September 11, 2023. In the coming weeks, Antonio Guterres will present a report on the latest developments in the Sahara to the members of the Security Council. The UN Secretary-General has not yet reported on his meeting with the Polisario leader in Dili on Friday, August 30, although he has posted messages on X about his activities in the republic.
