DR ‹ › Supporters of the Polisario Front have sharply criticized MINURSO's recent decision to terminate the contracts of several senior officials, accusing MINURSO of bias and alleging collusion with Moroccan authorities. According to a Sahrawi media outlet, the criticism is directed in particular at Alexander Ivanko, whom they accuse of «weakening the mandate of the UN mission in Western Sahara». Critics claim Ivanko is seeking to transform MINURSO, originally tasked with organizing a referendum, into a political mission with limited powers and «stripped of its effective substance». Such accusations are not new. Similar objections surfaced last April when MINURSO declined to renew contracts for several foreign staff members, a move Polisario supporters viewed as an early sign of abandoning the pursuit of a «political settlement» in favor of managing the conflict without a definitive resolution. Tensions between MINURSO and the Polisario Front remain high. A key point of contention is the refusal of Ivanko's predecessor, Colin Stewart, to meet Polisario representatives in what the Front calls the «liberated territories». Since taking office on August 27, 2021, Ivanko has maintained the same position, further straining relations between the UN mission and the Polisario.
