Speaking to Yabiladi, Sahrawis, including former members of the Polisario, shared their thoughts on the new resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council on Friday, October 31, concerning the Western Sahara issue. Here are the details. As Morocco prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of the Green March on November 6, the UN Security Council has taken another decisive step in endorsing the solution proposed by Rabat in 2007. «This resolution is a victory for Morocco and its diplomacy. It emphasizes establishing peace between Morocco and Algeria in line with the calls from U.S. President Donald Trump, echoed by his advisors Steve Witkoff and Massad Boulos», said Bachir Edkhil, a founding member of the Polisario who joined Morocco. Edkhil added that the new resolution «is likely to create favorable conditions for a peace agreement between Morocco and Algeria». He noted that although the two countries have not engaged in direct conflict since 1963, «Algiers uses the Polisario, its armed wing, to destabilize Rabat and impose its policies in the region». He further stressed that «the resolution acknowledges the reality of the situation, most Sahrawis concerned by this issue live on their lands, participate in elections, and are active members of Moroccan political parties». For Bahi Larbi Ennass, also a former Polisario member, Resolution 2797 «marks a major turning point in the history of the conflict. It now asserts that the problem is internal and must be resolved within the framework of the Kingdom's sovereignty over all its territories». The president of the Center for Peace, Political and Strategic Studies in Laayoune believes that «the time for placing this issue in artificial frameworks is over». He added, «The international community is correcting this mistake today. With this resolution, we must turn the page on the past and work together, through all legitimate channels, elected officials, tribal leaders, civil society, and even those who still defend the separatist thesis». «The participation of all components is key to ensuring the legitimacy of Morocco's Autonomy Initiative, for the benefit of both the state and the local population, within the framework of the Kingdom's sovereignty», Ennass concluded. A call to Algiers Meanwhile, Mohamed Elghet Malainine, vice president of the Moroccan Center for Parallel Diplomacy and Dialogue of Civilizations (CMDPDC), said the resolution «clearly enshrines the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative as the unique and credible reference framework for a lasting political solution». «In other words, what was once a Moroccan proposal in 2007 has now become a UN standard», he explained. «By recognizing that autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the most realistic and achievable solution, the international community acknowledges the convergence between national sovereignty and local participation, core elements of the royal vision and Morocco's model of advanced regionalization». «With this vote, Moroccan diplomacy reaps the rewards of strategic consistency and credibility built on facts, not slogans», he continued, before addressing Algiers directly: «Algeria should seize this opportunity and respond to the outstretched hand of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to escape the trap it set for itself by instrumentalizing this dispute. The region's future depends on sincere rapprochement between Rabat and Algiers, for the benefit of both peoples and the entire Maghreb». Abdelouahab Gaïn, president of the Africa Watch Association for Human Rights, also spoke to Yabiladi about the implications of the resolution. «This resolution fits within a framework of autonomy that ensures self-governance, with institutional mechanisms to meet local needs in terms of security, governance, policing, taxation, and administration», he explained. «This local self-governance must manage these responsibilities effectively while maintaining a balanced relationship with the central government, in full respect of national sovereignty, defense, foreign affairs, currency, the flag, and the King's religious authority», Gaïn said. In his address on Thursday evening, King Mohammed VI announced that Morocco «will proceed with the update and detailed formulation of the Autonomy Proposal for future submission to the United Nations».
