On Monday, November 17, the Polisario representative to the African Union held talks with Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security. «We discussed recent developments in Western Sahara, particularly the adoption of Resolution 2797 by the United Nations Security Council, as well as the role of the African Union in the quest for a lasting and fair peace in the region», stated Adeoye. Notably, the Nigerian commissioner sidestepped any mention of «the self-determination of the Sahrawi people» or «the organization of a referendum», topics frequently highlighted by his predecessor from Algeria, Smail Chergui. The Polisario has not yet issued a public response to this meeting. The Polisario Front continues to push for a more proactive role from the pan-African organization in resolving the Western Sahara dispute. It remains committed to advocating for the implementation of the plan jointly devised by the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity in 1991 to address this regional conflict. Algeria remains a steadfast supporter of this approach. Meanwhile, Morocco steadfastly opposes any involvement from the OAU or the AU in the resolution process, insisting that the matter be exclusively managed by the UN. This stance has not wavered, even following its return to the African Union in January 2017.
