#QuestionsDactu .. Sahara marocain : le rapport Guterres change-t-il la donne ?

Summary

The program examines whether UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s report changes the political framework established by Security Council Resolution 2797 on Western Sahara. The host highlights a tension in the report: it presents Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the basis for negotiations, yet continues to invoke self-determination and a “free and voluntary choice” by the population without specifying how any consultation would work.

The panel describes renewed negotiations involving Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front, following several rounds of talks and increased US involvement. One contributor says Morocco has prepared a more detailed version of its autonomy plan, while other parties have not offered comparable proposals. The panel stresses that the Secretary-General’s report is not binding on the Security Council; the Council’s forthcoming resolution will be decisive.

A central debate concerns how autonomy relates to self-determination. Some contributors argue that international thinking is evolving and that meaningful autonomy could become a way to exercise self-determination. Others caution that autonomy is not yet established as a general UN legal principle and that its practical details—such as powers, representation, resources, and guarantees—remain unsettled.

The report’s proposed transitional council draws sharply different reactions. The discussion says it could involve shared powers over local security, public services, natural resources, justice, and elections, alongside measures such as visits between the camps and the southern provinces, refugee arrangements, and disarmament and reintegration. One panelist rejects the proposal as a risky attempt to internationalize the issue and diminish Moroccan sovereignty; others say a transition may be conceivable but stress that Morocco would need to protect its red lines. The report does not spell out the council’s composition, authority, or implementation.

The panel also questions MINURSO’s future. Created to organize a referendum that never took place, the mission is nevertheless recommended for extension through October 2027. Contributors debate whether its role should change as negotiations evolve or whether its continued presence perpetuates an outdated framework. They also discuss the need to broaden participation in any settlement beyond the Polisario and the importance of the Security Council’s next resolution in determining what happens next.

Presenters and Contributors

• Khadija — Host; surname not stated.
• Professor Zakaria Abouddahab — Name spelling normalized from the subtitles.
• Professor Mustapha Sehimi — Political scientist and law professor; name spelling normalized from the subtitles.
• A second international-relations specialist — Name transcribed as “Balab” in the subtitles; spelling is unclear.