New York (UN), 3 June 2026 (SPS) – Dr. Sidi Mohamed Omar, Member of the National Secretariat, Representative of the Frente POLISARIO at the United Nations and Coordinator with MINURSO, declared that the Sahrawi cause received strong support during the annual regional seminar of the UN General Assembly Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (C- 24), which was held recently in Managua, Nicaragua.
The statement was made during an interview conducted yesterday from New York by the Sahrawi diplomat with the Sahrawi National Television (RASD.TV) in which he discussed the conclusion of the works of the Regional Seminar of the Special Committee on Decolonization, as well as the latest developments regarding the UN peace process and its prospects.
In this regard, the Sahrawi diplomat highlighted the positions of support and solidarity expressed by Member States from various continents. Specifically, countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean expressed their strong support for the exercise by the Sahrawi people of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV)containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
They also called upon the United Nations and the Special Committee to expedite the holding of the referendum on self-determination for the people of Western Sahara in accordance with the mandate for which MINURSO had been established, thus accelerating the decolonization of the last colony on the African continent.
The seminar also provided an opportunity for the Sahrawi delegation to hold bilateral meetings with Nicaraguan authorities. Notably, a meeting was held with Mr. Jaentschke,Nicaraguan Co-Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was handed a letter sent from the President of the Sahrawi Republic and Secretary-General of the Frente POLISARIO, Mr. Brahim Ghali, addressed to Nicaragua’s Co-Presidents, Mr. Daniel Ortega and Ms. Rosario Murillo. The letter concerned the bilateral relations between the two countries as well as the latest developments regarding the Sahrawi cause.
The Sahrawi delegation was also received by the Bureau of the Nicaraguan National Assembly, headed by Mr. Gustavo Porras. During the discussions, the parliamentarians, including members of the Parliamentary Friendship Association with the Sahrawi Republic, were briefed on the latest developments regarding the national cause, particularly at the United Nations.
Responding to a question concerning the latest developments and prospects of the UN-sponsored peace process in Western Sahara, the Sahrawi diplomat noted that the beginning of this year witnessed the convening of three ministerial meetings co-chaired by the United Nations and the United States as the penholder for MINURSO within the Security Council.
These ministerial meetings—held twice in Washington and once in Madrid—brought together the foreign ministers of the two parties, the Frente POLISARIO and Morocco, as well as the foreign ministers of the two neighboring and observer countries, Algeria and Mauritania. The discussions focused on exploring avenues for implementing the latest Security Council Resolution 2797 (2025). In this context, he stressed that all that can be said about these discussions is that they have marked the beginning of a process, but it is still too early to assess the course and the ultimate outcome of the process, owing to a host of challenges that remain.
The Sahrawi diplomat added that it is common knowledge that Morocco, the occupying state, persists in its attempts to entrench its occupation and impose it by force, in addition to its ongoing human rights violations in the Occupied Territories of the Sahrawi Republic—a fact recently corroborated by the UN Committee against Torture in its reports concerning the detainees of the Gdeim Izik Group. He emphasized that none of these practices demonstrate good faith or contribute to fostering an atmosphere conducive to progress in the peace process.
He concluded by stating that the United Nations continues its efforts to advance the peace process. In this context, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, continues to engage with the two parties to the conflict as he prepares for an upcoming regional tour, which will involve holding meetings with the two parties to deepen discussions and consultations regarding various issues related to the UN-sponsored peace process in Western Sahara.
