The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reaffirmed its support for the Autonomy Plan presented by Morocco to reach a definitive solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara.
Intervening before the members of the Fourth Committee (4C) of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Zénon Mukongo Ngay, stated that his country “would like to seize this opportunity to renew its support for the autonomy plan presented by Morocco in 2007, which was judged to be solid, serious, and in line with the United Nations (UN) Charter.”
The Congolese diplomat praised the socio-economic development of the Moroccan Sahara thanks to investments and projects implemented under the new development model launched in 2015, noting that this model has greatly contributed to the empowerment of populations and the improvement of human development indexes in the region.
The diplomat also commended the holding of two round tables in Geneva, with the participation of Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and the “polisario”, in accordance with Security Council resolutions, calling on these participants to commit, in a spirit of realism and compromise, to the political process until its successful conclusion.
The Congolese ambassador reaffirmed his country’s support for the political process, conducted under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG), aimed at achieving a political, realistic, pragmatic, lasting, and compromising solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara, as recommended by Security Council resolutions since 2007.
The official further praised the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to facilitate negotiations aimed at reaching a settlement to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, noting that a political solution to this long-standing conflict and enhanced cooperation between the member states of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) would contribute to stability and security in the Sahel region.